Two iPhones Go Up in Smoke and Flames

Two users recently received a scare when their iPhones began glowing, smoking and emitting sparks. One iPhone in Brazil, and then another in Australia, recently self-combusted.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/11/holy-smokes-iphone/

WESTERN DIGITAL

Torus is an impressive 3D Tetris game powered by HTML5

As far as Tetris goes, most variations look quite similar. You're usually looking at a "wall" of bricks directly from the front. Torus takes that notion and throws it away; as you might have guessed from the name (or screenshot), this Tetris clone is played on a ring-like 3D surface.

You rotate the ring itself with the arrow keys, while a Tetris-like piece slowly (excruciatingly slowly, in fact) descends from the top. As soon as you make a solid line, it disappears.

Not all pieces are Tetris-like; some of them wouldn't really work with a regular Tetris game but are a good fit for Torus' 3D format.

Torus is ideal for playing at the office, because it has absolutely no soundtrack. The game is dead-quiet. It's also very very slow (slow enough for me to mention it twice in one post) so you can safely look away for a moment and then keep playing. Also, as soon as the game loses focus, it automatically pauses.

Bottom line: It's an impressive demo of the power of HTML5; if it were a bit faster, it would have some serious addictive potential.

Torus is an impressive 3D Tetris game powered by HTML5 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/17/torus-is-an-impressive-3d-tetris-game-powered-by-html5/

NOKIA

Anti-Slip Case Keeps Your iPad 2 Safe, Even at 60 MPH

Driving off after leaving a drink on your car's roof is a messy bummer. Doing the same with your smartphone or tablet is downright traumatizing. If you're prone to absent-mindedness, iPad casemakers Sofshell may have a solution for you: An iPad case that can survive a 60 mph trip down the road.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/11/ipad-2-on-a-porsche/

MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS

Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip

Frankly speaking, the phones that Lenovo have announced so far this week haven't been all that exciting (unless, of course, you're somehow aroused by its 5-inch tabletphone), but it turned out the folks had a little surprise for us: the LePhone K2. What we got here is a 4.3-inch IPS display (resolution of which not yet announced), a powerful dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 chip, 1GB RAM, 1GB ROM and an eight megapixel 1080p camera. Sadly, like the S2 and the S760, this crouching tiger also packs Android 2.3.5 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich, but without a price or a release date, perhaps there's still a small chance that we'll see it eventually launching with the newer OS. Anyhow, that's just our wishful thinking. Chinese hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip

Continue reading Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip

Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Engadget Chinese  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/lenovo-lephone-k2-to-arrive-with-4-3-inch-ips-display-1-5ghz-du/

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION

Wondrously Childlike Gifts For The New Dad [Gift Guide]

Babies are so adorable! And so very much trouble. They're always hungry, often crying and never sleeping. But here's a little secret: fatherhood can be a great excuse to gear up. Oh man. I'm totally lactating. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lpEyubIRKVI/wondrously-childlike-gifts-for-the-new-dad

QUEST SOFTWARE

Crypteks: Encrypted, Combo-Locked USB Stick For the Seriously Paranoid

If you need an 8GB USB stick that is both hardware encrypted and physically locked then you probably have a secret worth paying $130 to protect. If this is the case, I suggest you either confess your porn habit (really — you’ll feel a lot better) or buy the Crypteks USB.
Don’t believe me? Then listen [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/11/crypteks-encrypted-combo-locked-usb-stick-for-the-seriously-paranoid/

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE

Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation

Google Chrome 11 -- which just recently made the move to the browser's beta channel -- has received a minor update that gives developers access to two new APIs.

The first is a full-featured proxy API, which will, for example, allow users to set different proxy servers for normal browsing and Incognito mode. Proxy auto-config scripts are also supported by the API.

The second -- Web Navigation Extension -- is a bit more expansive. This API will allow devs to build everything from more powerful safe browsing extensions -- like Traffic Light -- to data analysis and reporting extensions.

Both APIs are currently experimental, so you'll need to enable them on the about:flags page to try out any relevant extensions. Apart from a proxy example built by Google and shipped with the Chromium source, we're not aware of any examples just yet, however. We'll let you know when we spot any slick, new extensions which do surface.

Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/chrome-11-beta-adds-new-experimental-apis-for-proxies-web-navig/

INSIGHT ENTERPRISES

Scosche clipSYNC Charge and Sync Cables Review

Have you ever been caught without a charging cable? �You decided to travel light, with just a phone and your laptop. �You realize your phone needs a charge, but you don’t have the USB charging cable. �Clip a clipSYNC Charge and Sync Cable from Scosche to your keyring or gear bag strap, and you’ll always [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/25/scosche-clipsync-charge-and-sync-cables-review/

ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING

The Crime-Lite System Can Spot a Culprit's Invisible Fingerprints [Monster Machines]

"Dusting for prints" has been a mainstay of forensic investigations since the late 1880's—employing a developer powder to add enough contrast for the fingerprint to show up in photographs. But what about latent prints or those on visually dense, multi-color surfaces? The Crime-lite ASV System can image them—with infrared lasers. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6XcKRkOR67Y/the-crime+lite-system-can-spot-a-culprits-invisible-fingerprints

TECHNITROL

ASUS Transformer Prime pre-order page points to December 8th release date

We were expecting ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer Prime to hit the market sometime next month, but a new pre-order page on Newegg may have just revealed a slightly more specific date. Of course, the Tegra 3-packing tablet has already gone up for pre-order on a host of retail sites, but Newegg's listing is the first to peg December 8th for its release. Its $500 price tag also dovetails nicely with what we've previously heard, though ASUS has yet to weigh in with its official word. Interested parties can grab a piece of the Prime at the source link, below.

[Thanks, Nivin]

ASUS Transformer Prime pre-order page points to December 8th release date originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Newegg  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/28/asus-transformer-prime-pre-order-page-hints-at-december-8th-rele/

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Apple's Got Free Shipping on Everything Until Dec. 22nd [Apple]

Okay, so it's not exactly a Cyber Monday blowout. But Apple's dangling a small shopping incentive today, offering free shipping on any and everything you can buy online or through the Apple Store app from now until December 22nd. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/QHMraQB4xz0/apples-got-free-shipping-on-everything-until-dec-22nd

MICROS SYSTEMS

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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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

TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS

Add a Windows 8 user tile to your Windows 7 taskbar

Now that Windows 8 images have begun leaking out, it's only a matter of time until developers start releasing mods for Windows 7 which mimic upcoming features. Over at Into Windows, they've spotted one such mod already.

In the earliest Windows 8 images, we saw Windows Live integration on the taskbar. In the far right corner, there's a user tile displayed. If you'd like to do the same on Windows 7, download Taskbar User Tile from DeviantArt user AngelWZR.

Once installed, your current picture will appear on the taskbar. Click it, and a menu appears which allows you to log off, switch users, and access the control panel. Right now, the mod only works if your taskbar is displayed on the bottom of your Windows desktop.

Add a Windows 8 user tile to your Windows 7 taskbar originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/add-a-windows-8-user-tile-to-your-windows-7-taskbar/

SAIC

Will Facebook Jump the Shark by Leaping Into Handsets?

Facebook's entry into the smartphone handset business is being reported like it's a done deal. It's a deal, however, in which critics say Facebook has more to lose than gain. The Facebook phone project already has a code name, "Buffy," a reference to the famed vampire slayer of film and television, according to a recent report.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/73821.html

MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES

Will Facebook Jump the Shark by Leaping Into Handsets?

Facebook's entry into the smartphone handset business is being reported like it's a done deal. It's a deal, however, in which critics say Facebook has more to lose than gain. The Facebook phone project already has a code name, "Buffy," a reference to the famed vampire slayer of film and television, according to a recent report.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/73821.html

TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Review

One of the most dynamic PC games to hit the market has been the franchise of Grand Theft Auto. It has literally started the genre and lifted it in new heights that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Will the same feel result from the incarnation of this grand franchise in the iPad? Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown is the newest addition to one of the most popular PC games ever created. The question left to be answered is: Does [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-review/

APPLE COMPUTER

iomega SuperHero Backup & Charger for iPhone Review

When I recently updated my iPad 2 to iOS 5, something went wrong and I lost the backup of my iPad 2 – which meant I had lost all my pictures and notes from the iPad 2. �Of course, iOS 5 lets you backup everything to the cloud now, but I’m still a bit upset [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/25/iomega-superhero-backup-charger-for-iphone-review/

IMATION

Audi Ad Turns the iPad's Slide To Unlock Into a Twisting Driving Course [Video]

Before you get too excited, you can't actually turn your iPad or iPhone's "slide to unlock" feature into a twisting race course. What you see here is actually an interactive ad created by Audi for the iPad, promoting their magazine. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/em9CMobdgzU/audi-ad-turns-the-ipads-slide-to-unlock-into-a-twisting-driving-course

NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR

Dell Called Out For Misleading Graphics Card Advice [Dell]

Dell's approach to letting customers configure their PCs can be a little daunting, so I applaud them for providing helpful advice. Except in this instance where an image implied that choosing a cheaper graphics card would mean a blurry desktop. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jZLj7bR7UIU/dell-called-out-for-misleading-graphics-card-advice

ACCENTURE