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LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic eyes-on

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

That “leaked” low-end LG Android device from a few days back? Turns out it was nothing more than the Optimus Chic, one of two Google-powered phones that the company announced back in early July. They’re still not ready to let us touch the damned things here at IFA — apparently on account of the fact that they’re not commercially available yet — but we got close enough to conclude that you definitely won’t be fooling anyone into thinking that you’ve dropped many hundreds of euros on your phone. You could argue that Huawei set the tone for IFA’s small-but-notable mobile presence this year with its introduction of the Ideos — in other words, cheap Android gear — and both of these LGs look primed to go head-to-head with the Ideos in that arena. Nokia had long been hoping to totally own the smartphone industry in emerging markets by driving S60 into the bargain basement — but with this latest round of Android releases coming dangerously close to the same price points, we could have an interesting battle on our hands.

LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Digital Eavesdropping Evil? Depends Which Country Is Doing It (TCTV)

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

First we had the Google vs China debacle, then came Saudi Arabia’s tussle with RIM. And now it’s India’s turn: threatening to block RIM, Google and Skype unless the companies agree to set up localised servers, all the better for state monitoring of communications.

Curiously, compared to the outrage levelled at the Saudi and Chinese governments, American reaction to India’s move has been pretty muted. Could it be that India is somehow perceived as “less evil” than the Muslim/Communist nations? Also: to what extent is India simply doing what every government – including the US government – tries to do: demanding the ability to monitor digital chatter in the hope of foiling criminal and terrorist plots? After all, if Big Brother can’t read your BBMs, haven’t the terrorists already won?

In this week’s episode of Why Is This News, we talk to Harvard Law professor Jon Zittrain, who explains the differences between governments who obey the rule of law, and those who don’t – and why Sarah’s right to criticize the government by email is totally protected, unless she should happen to email it to Paul.

Video below.

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Cambridge scientists develop lower-than-low power WORM memory

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

Researchers at Cambridge University have recently published a paper on their new type of WORM (write once read many) memory which is even more low powered than the ones that came before it. The new electron-only design of the memory is solution processed, making it low cost as well as it requires no lithography. The device, using ZnO semiconductor nanoparticles to inject electrons into a polymer which is capable of conducting. The electrons are then used to program the memory by permanently lowering the conductivity of the polymer, producing insulation. This result is far lower power densities than previously recorded, by orders of magnitude. The research team believes that it can make further improvements to the device as they continue to work.

Cambridge scientists develop lower-than-low power WORM memory originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SD Card Association: flash card speeds to triple by 2012

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

SD Card Association: flash card speeds to triple by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Offerpal Gets Its Third CEO In A Year, Garrick Named Executive Chairman

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

Offerpal Media has just announced that Mihir Shah, has been named president and CEO, while chairman and former CEO George Garrick has been named executive chairman. This is Offerpal’s third CEO in a year; Anu Shukla left the company last November following the Scamville drama and was replaced with former Mochi Media CEO George Garrick.

Shah was the company’s chief revenue officer and joined Offerpal in December of 2009. Prior to Offerpal, Shah was VP of ad networks for RockYou. And he previously served as VP and general manager of direct selling services at QuinStreet.

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Vodafone`s Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

Microsoft worked with Vodafone late last year to deploy Surfaces to a few dozen stores in several European countries (much as AT&T has done in the US), and one of those units happens to be set up at the carrier’s IFA booth this week. The basic idea here is that each available model appears as a card that can be twirled, resized, and flung around the screen. When the software first starts, the cards start in a deck from which you can “deal” onto the table — but when we first approached it, the Surface had obviously already been played with because the cards were in complete disarray. Not too helpful when you’re a befuddled buyer trying to browse models and make a choice from a dizzying selection of handsets, but that doesn’t mean it’s not cool — if nothing else, parents, it’s something to babysit the kiddies for a few minutes while you go about your business in the store. Follow the break for video of the Surface in action.

Continue reading Vodafone’s Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones

Vodafone’s Microsoft Surface: like Go Fish for phones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App Review: Angry Birds (Android)

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

What does it take to make an addictive game? Not much — just throw in some super simple controls, cute graphics, and basic physics. Rovio Mobile’s Angry Birds is one such game that includes all these elements, and today the studio’s just released a public Android beta to cater those without an iOS or Ovi-enabled device. In case you’re not already familiar with the popular title, the backstory is that a gang of hungry pigs snatched away some eggs from the birds, forcing the feathered creatures to embark on a rescue mission for the sake of their survival. The gameplay on the Android version is just as simple as before: in each level you use a fixed slingshot to fling the birds — one at a time — into the forts, in order to kill all the pigs inside. As a secondary challenge, you must also attempt to get a three-star rating depending on the amount of structural material you destroy, so the key is to perfect your shooting angle.

At the beginning you’re only given one type of bird that does nothing more than just headbutting, but throughout the game you’ll come across six more birds, each possessing one special power: multiply, explode, accelerate, dropping egg bombs, boomerang, and extra strength. Don’t worry, the instructions are pretty clear when you first meet these enhanced kamikaze birds — most involve just a single tap anywhere to trigger their special abilities mid-flight. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll soon be wanting to try out all sorts of trajectories to take vengeance on those cheeky green hogs. Seriously, the pigs really do laugh at you when your birds miss them.

While we’re not familiar with the Ovi Store version of Angry Birds, we’ve definitely spent a fair amount of time on the iOS flavor. Sadly, since the latter’s still running on a low 480 x 320 resolution, the blurred graphics on the notoriously sharp retina display does no justice to the game. On the other hand, the Android version looks a lot prettier on our Nexus One, Dell Streak and HTC Desire, as it runs on their native resolution of 800 x 480. That said, overall the Android beta didn’t feel as well-oiled as its iOS counterpart — we’ve noticed the occasional light hiccups while panning across the scene, so here’s hoping that this will be fixed in the final release. Regardless of this minor flaw, we’d still highly recommend Android users to check out this free Angry Birds beta in the market — go grab it while it’s hot!

Continue reading App Review: Angry Birds (Android)

App Review: Angry Birds (Android) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey Palm: Take A Deep Breath. Leaks Happen. Be Proud.

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

Just days ago, Palm revealed a bunch of details surrounding webOS 2.0, which, as the name implies, is an upcoming major update to their webOS platform. Shortly thereafter, they released a big chunk of webOS 2.0 to a small section of their development community as part of a Beta program.

Almost immediately, one of these developers unearthed one little bit that Palm didn’t intend anyone to find: a lingering mention of a virtual keyboard — something which webOS doesn’t have, and that Palm has yet to confirm as a feature.

So, what do you think Palm did? Did they pull the stone-face routine, and say they don’t comment on rumors and speculation? Did they send out an e-mail saying “Hey guys, we gotta be more careful!” and move on? Nope. They freaked the hell out.

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Xbox 360`s transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

Boy, we’ve gone from rumor to hands-on experience in just a couple of days with this thing. Microsoft’s November 9-bound Xbox 360 controller refresh couldn’t escape the clutches of Joystiq, who have put together a neat photo gallery and video overview. That chrometastic new D-pad is clearly the headliner here, and the early feedback is that it works well — it takes a bit of effort to transform from a flat button to the elevated four-way navigator you see above, but that’s apparently a good thing as it means you’ll never flip modes by accident in the middle of a hot and heavy gaming session. The analog buttons have also been subjected to some nipping and tucking and there is of course a new desaturated color scheme to explore as well. You’ll find a shot of the retail packaging after the break and a lot more at the source.

Continue reading Xbox 360′s transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video

Xbox 360′s transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Felicis Ventures’ Aydin Senkut: The Next Great Mobile Company Is Not Here Yet

Posted on | September 3, 2010 | No Comments

Aydin Senkut, founder of Felicis Ventures, has an enviable track record. Founded in late 2005, Felicis has made roughly 60 investments, with 16 successful exits, including Mint, Tapulous and Aardvark. As anyone in the investment community will tell you, that’s not a shabby hit rate.

Senkut, a former senior manager at Google, is getting ready to deploy even more capital, with the recent birth of Felicis’ first institutional fund. The $40 million war chest was 33% oversubscribed and includes institutional investors like Flag Capital and Weathergage Capital and other notable names, like Peter Thiel and Joshua Schachter. So what is Senkut buying? The super angel investor recently dropped by TechCrunch TV to share his playbook. Video ahead.

Hint: he says the next great mobile company may intersect with health care.

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