Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Android Honeycomb
Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.

Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.

As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."

In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.

Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/google-holds-back-on-open-sourcing-honeycomb-heralds-shift-android/

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OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

ommwriter
I have a thing for full-screen text editing. I use WriteMonkey for my creative writing needs, and VIM in a full-screen PuTTY session for my Web development work. That being the case, I'm all over the monospace, dark-background, focused editing scene.

OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).

I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?

OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.

After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.

Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/ommwriter-brings-its-clean-calm-writing-interface-to-windows/

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GetGlue for iPad now lays out your TV schedule

 

GetGlue's entertainment check-in app for iPad has been dramatically revamped with a particular emphasis on scheduling. Now you can see when your favorite TV shows are on and when your sports team is playing in a simple calendar layout. As a second screen during your viewing, GetGlue for ipad is offering a bunch of contextual information from around the web, including trailers and links to Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon as appropriate. GetGlue is also trying harder than ever to be your guide in discovering new shows you might be interested in based on what you've been watching and what you like. Here's the full changelog for GetGlue 3.0 on iPad.

  • A personalized guide for TV, movies, and sports based on what you like.
  • Get recommendations for shows you'll want to start watching.
  • Check-in and chat with friends and fans while you watch.
  • Enjoy the best clips, photos, and articles for your favorite shows and movies.
  • Never miss a key premiere, finale, or major event that’s important to you.
  • Unlock stickers and other rewards from your favorite shows.

 I'm a huge fan of GetGlue, and this new direction is really great. It's easy to imagine the scheduling thing expanding into movie premieres, video game launches, and all of the other areas of content they cover. What do you guys usually use your iPad for while watching a TV show? What's your favorite couch companion app?

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Source: GetGlue

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/47w8maC_G6I/story01.htm

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GetGlue for iPad hits version 3.0: adds personalized guides, show recommendations and alerts

GetGlue for iPad hits version 30 adds personalized guides, show recommendations and alerts

GetGlue's been giving social TV watchers a hub they can count on within Cupertino's tablet for a good while now. Today, however, the application's reached version three-dot-oh, which means there's a slew of new goodies in tow. Among some of the fresh features is an all-new guide for television shows, movies and sports that's solely based on personal preferences, while recommendations, clips and related articles have also been added in this new version. That's not it, though, GetGlue now lets folks set alerts for upcoming events, as well as earn "stickers" for watching their favorite content -- think badges on FourSquare. Best of all, the iPad app's still free of charge, so anyone interested in v3.0 can give the App Store link below a quick tap to get on with the gratis download.

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GetGlue for iPad hits version 3.0: adds personalized guides, show recommendations and alerts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/17/getglue-app-for-ipad-version-3-0/

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Awesome Chinese Iron Man Built Himself Bionic Arms After His Homemade Bomb Blew Up His Real Arms [DIY]

Sun Jifa should be an inspiration to us all. After he lost both of his hands when a homemade bomb exploded, he spent the past 8 years making prototype bionic hands until figuring out the system he has now. It looks awesome and they work wonderfully. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/cwwZg7Nd4jU/awesome-chinese-iron-man-built-himself-bionic-arms-after-his-homemade-bomb-blew-up-his-real-arms

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Oculus Rift's latest VR headset prototype gets a showing at Gamescom 2012 (hands-on)

Oculus Rift's latest prototype gets a showing at Gamescom 2012 handson

"This is the latest prototype," the Oculus guys tell us. That's great, now strap us in. The team decided to make a sudden stop in Germany ahead of appearances back in the US over the next few weeks -- and we're glad, because it meant we got to call in on them and grab some time with the Oculus Rift. If you didn't know, the Rift is a Kickstarter-funded VR gaming headset (stay with us) that's caught the attention of several games developers -- most notably John Carmack. He liked it so much, in fact, that he developed a special Rift-ready version of Doom 3 for the headset and Doom 4 will also be heading to the VR peripheral too. We got to play with the earlier game and while there's a video after the break, we reckon you'll really need to try this in person to fully grasp how the Oculus Rift plays. Check out our impressions after the break.

Continue reading Oculus Rift's latest VR headset prototype gets a showing at Gamescom 2012 (hands-on)

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Oculus Rift's latest VR headset prototype gets a showing at Gamescom 2012 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/oculus-rift-hands-on/

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Acer Foldable Case Stand for Iconia A500/101 Review

I was walking through  an electronics store the other day when I just happened to see the above case in a markdown bin.  It’s an Acer foldable case stand for their Acer A500/101 (Barcode: 4717276489618). Now the Acer Iconias just happens to be about the same size as my Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet, so I tried it out for size and it fit. :) It’s a pretty cool design, so I took it to the checkout and found it was even cheaper than its marked $20 when they rang it up at $15.

From what  I can see this case/stand seems to be end of life AND it seems to only be available in Australia (though I’m more than willing to have someone with better Google-fu to prove me wrong). Truth is I’m not sure how relevant this review will be to anyone, but it’s such a natty solution I thought I’d cover it anyway. :)

Construction

The case itself is made from a black felt material and you can see that there are pockets stitched into the top of the case which all have some form of screen protector stiffener in them. The pouch itself is 29 x 20mm ( 11.5 x 8 ” ). In addition there’s some small magnets in the triangles on the left and also in the big pad on the right.

The bag is lined with a nice grey microsuede.

The closure is a micro Velcro setup.

The Stand

Here’s the neat thing, by folding the case along the lines (much like origami), you can make it into a stand for your tablet.  The magnets mentioned above strengthen the structure to create this sturdy little structure.

Your tablet is held in place by the black rubber latch at the front.

And from the back (see my expensive tablet back protector(s) :) ).  The stand is sturdy enough to support my tablet both in landscape and portrait mode.

Conclusion

This stand is lightweight and extremely handy to carry around.  It’s not going to protect your tablet from a big drop or bang but will protect it from scratches and dings if you’ve shoved it into your favourite gadget bag.  The fact that it easily and quickly changes into a stand for your tablet makes it a versatile solution.

As I mentioned above, it looks like it’s end of life an only available in Australia, but I’ve never seen a stand like this before (I’m sure there’s going to be millions of comments pointing them out for iPads and other tablets) and thought it worth posting :)

Product Information

Price:RRP: $39AU but can be had for $15AU marked down
Manufacturer:Acer
Requirements:
  • A tablet that fits in it.
Pros:
  • Lightweight
  • Protects your screen
  • Easily turns into a portable stand for both landscape and portrait
Cons:
  • Won't protect your tablet from harder drops or knocks
  • May not fit all tablets
  • Might be End of Life
  • Might only be available in Australia.

Filed in categories: Cases and Covers, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

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Acer Foldable Case Stand for Iconia A500/101 Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2012 at 11:00 am.

X-51A WaveRider hypersonic mission doomed by bum missile fin

DNP X51A Waverider hypersonic test fails with snapped fin before scramjet deployed

The latest attempt to go past Mach 5 with the X51A has finished badly again, as a broken fin caused the missile to lose control before its air-breathing "scramjet'" motor could even kick in. It happened just after the booster rocket phase, which accelerates the craft to at least Mach 4, a high enough velocity for the hypersonic scramjet to work. The craft ended up in the Pacific shortly afterwards instead, and this latest affair may end up dunking the entire $300 million program. The Air Force initiative is already short on funding, and the previous two tries were equally dismal failures -- meaning a fourth missile, already built, may end up a museum piece.

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X-51A WaveRider hypersonic mission doomed by bum missile fin originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/x-51a-waverider-hypersonic-mission/

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Pantech Flex teased for AT&T LTE, will be available in the 'coming months'

Pantech Flex teased for AT&T LTE, will be available in the 'coming months'Well, this is one of the more... creative ways to tease a forthcoming product. Pantech is ready to show off its latest AT&T LTE device, the Flex, but it's taking to its popular Dew Tour to do so. Pantech is quite scant on specific information and isn't providing photos yet, but it did mention that the new device will be available in the coming months. Hopefully this is the handset we saw go through the FCC not too long ago, but we'll keep you posted as more information comes in. In the meantime, the Flex will be exhibited this weekend at the Pantech Beach Championships in Ocean City, MD. Check out the full press release after the break.

Continue reading Pantech Flex teased for AT&T LTE, will be available in the 'coming months'

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Pantech Flex teased for AT&T LTE, will be available in the 'coming months' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/16/pantech-flex-teased-att/

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Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 racks up 25 million downloads in 3 days
If you've had your head under a rock for the last few days, here's this week's Firefox news in brief: Firefox 4 was finally released.

Yes, 13 months after the initial release of Firefox 3.7 alpha 1 and four more alpha builds, a renumbering to 4.0 and 12 beta releases, and finally a release candidate (or two), Firefox 4 has been released into the wild.

Just like every other Firefox release, initial reception for the new browser has been nothing short of insane. 7.1 million downloads were registered in the first 24 hours and the download rate continued to accelerate, clocking in more than 15 million downloads after two days. At the time of writing, three days in, Firefox 4 has been downloaded over 25 million times. In case you're wondering, the United States accounts for 7 million of those downloads, just beating out Germany's Firefox-downloads-per-capita.

But now that you've installed Firefox 4 (you have, right?), what do you do now? Well, obviously, in true Download Squad fashion, it's time to tweak Firefox 4 using add-ons and about:config hacks!

First up is an add-on called Stratiform that lets you change every aspect of the Firefox 4 browser chrome -- including the color of that orange button!

Continue reading Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/firefox-4-friday-25-million-downloads-anti-aliasing-and-how-t/

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