Monday, March 31, 2014

T-Mobile's latest UnCarrier move: removing employer discounts




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T-Mobile's latest UnCarrier move: removing employer discounts



Over the past year, T-Mobile's new policies have ushered in a new wave of changes to the way the US wireless industry works. It was the first national operator to introduce phone-financing plans, early upgrades and free international roaming;...






Square Market now accepts Bitcoins




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Square Market now accepts Bitcoins



Square Market's one of the latest e-retailers to realize that Bitcoins might not be too cryptic to be used as a legit payment option, after all. The e-commerce website now accepts payments made using the cryptocurrency, as Square Market Lead Ajit...






Google+ adds page view counts to user profiles




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Google+ adds page view counts to user profiles



Earlier this month, we learned that Twitter's considering introducing view counts to individual tweets, and it looks like Google+ just flipped the switch on a similar initiative. Follower counts are now joined by the total number of page clicks,...






Must See HDTV for the week of March 31st: HIMYM finale, Game of Thrones, Final Four




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Must See HDTV for the week of March 31st: HIMYM finale, Game of Thrones, Final Four



March Madness comes to an end this weekend, but it's the perfect time for the return of one of our favorite series, HBO's Game of Thrones. It's joined Sunday night by the premiere of Mike Judge's new comedy Silicon Valley, and Turn, a new...






Outlook Web App for Android will help your smartphone fit in at work




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Outlook Web App for Android will help your smartphone fit in at work



It's easy to find Android phones that can handle the Exchange-based email you often find in the workplace, but they don't always support all the latest features. That won't be a problem for much longer, though, as Microsoft has just revealed plans to...






Xbox gets a new leader at Microsoft: Phil Spencer




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Xbox gets a new leader at Microsoft: Phil Spencer



When longtime Xbox lead Marc Whitten left for Sonos recently, Microsoft was left without an exec to lead up one of its most powerful divisions. Today, Phil Spencer is stepping in to fill that spot -- not exactly a surprise given Spencer's past role...






LG G2 for Sprint gets a taste of Android 4.4 KitKat




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LG G2 for Sprint gets a taste of Android 4.4 KitKat



LG G2 owners on Sprint no longer have to look on with envy as their friends on AT&T and T-Mobile get upgrades to Android 4.4 KitKat. The CDMA carrier has just started rolling out the OS update on its network today. There aren't any special treats...






Political backlash against Mozilla's new CEO continues as OkCupid suggests browser alternatives




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Political backlash against Mozilla's new CEO continues as OkCupid suggests browser alternatives



Last week Mozilla appointed former CTO Brendan Eich as its new CEO, but the response to that move has centered on something other than its focus on mobile. In 2008 Eich donated $1,000 to support Proposition 8, a ban on gay marriage in California, and...






The NSA had an easier time breaking web encryption than previously thought




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The NSA had an easier time breaking web encryption than previously thought



Internet security was turned on its ear in December when leaks revealed that the NSA had inserted a back door into a common encryption method from the RSA, a big security provider for remote work access and other major parts of the corporate web....






The government is about to make outdoor WiFi faster




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The government is about to make outdoor WiFi faster



Just over a year ago, the FCC said it was working on a proposal to make outdoor and public WiFi faster, and, well, it's finally come to pass. Today, the outfit announced that it has freed some 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band, which...






Republic Wireless adds Moto Maker for customizing your Moto X




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Republic Wireless adds Moto Maker for customizing your Moto X



It's been a long time coming, but Motorola's Moto Maker phone-building tool has finally arrived for Republic Wireless customers. The low-cost carrier has sold the Moto X for several months already, but it's just now offering Motorola's unique...






Amazon's Alpha House wins re-election, six new series set to debut




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Amazon's Alpha House wins re-election, six new series set to debut



Amazon's Alpha House will return for a second season, with production beginning this summer. The original series, starring John Goodman and three other guys, follows a group of Republican senators living together in Washington, D.C. Season one is...






New Xbox head Phil Spencer promises renewed focus on gaming across all Microsoft platforms




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New Xbox head Phil Spencer promises renewed focus on gaming across all Microsoft platforms



Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the new head of its Xbox division this morning: Phil Spencer, longtime Microsoft Studios leader and Xbox game dude. In Spencer's initial letter to the legions of Xbox owners the world over, his approach comes...






Google chooses you to become a Pokémon Master on April Fools'




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Google chooses you to become a Pokémon Master on April Fools'



Google's known for its weird and wonderful April Fools' jokes, but this year's edition might be the best we've seen. Because it's already April 1st in Australia and Japan, Google has introduced its "latest" build of Google Maps, laying down a...






Square makes accounting easier for merchants by integrating with Xero




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Square makes accounting easier for merchants by integrating with Xero



Square can make accepting credit cards easy for small businesses. Things get less simple, however, when it comes time to do the books for those businesses -- something that often involves painstakingly inputting Square transactions into accounting...






Toshiba Encore review: an 8-inch Windows tablet that struggles to stand out




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Toshiba Encore review: an 8-inch Windows tablet that struggles to stand out



Toshiba is no stranger to Windows tablets, but what we've seen to date has typically been targeted at businesses or has otherwise been... limited. In that sense, the Encore is something special. It's not just the company's first 8-inch Windows tablet...






Samsung's new monitors include one with a billion-color, 3,840 x 2,160 screen




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Samsung's new monitors include one with a billion-color, 3,840 x 2,160 screen



Now that Samsung's shown us the GS5, Gear 2 smartwatch and its latest Chromebook, it's time for the company's lesser-known product teams to come out of the woodwork. Next up: the display division, which today introduced three new models for 2014,...






Sony's latest home audio systems balance looks, price and sound quality




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Sony's latest home audio systems balance looks, price and sound quality



Here's the thing with soundbars, sound plates and every other gadget that attempts to fill the niche between a full 5.1 home theater system and the tinny speakers built into your TV -- they rarely sound great and they usually look even worse. Of...






This is what the new CyanogenMod OS looks like on the OnePlus One




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This is what the new CyanogenMod OS looks like on the OnePlus One



OnePlus has been constantly dishing out teasers for its upcoming One smartphone since December, but little is known about its UI until we received these two screenshots today, courtesy of a reliable tipster. First of all, this Android KitKat-based OS...






Intel's SD card-sized computer may not be so tiny after all




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Intel's SD card-sized computer may not be so tiny after all



Back at CES, Intel made a big deal of the fact that it could squeeze a Linux-based PC with Bluetooth and WiFi into the size and shape of an SD card. However, with just a few months to go before the launch of these miniscule Edison development boards,...






Ultrakam lets your iPhone capture higher resolution film-like video clips




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Ultrakam lets your iPhone capture higher resolution film-like video clips



While Sony and Samsung are busy making phones with 4K recording capabilities, one developer has worked its pixel magic to get more from iPhone cameras. Ultrakam is the first iOS app capable of recording 2K film resolution, letting iPhone 5s owners...






Sunday, March 30, 2014

Olympus brings five-axis image stabilization to the point-and-shoot with $400 Stylus SH-1




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Olympus brings five-axis image stabilization to the point-and-shoot with $400 Stylus SH-1



Olympus introduced its five-axis image stabilization in 2012 with the OM-D E-M5. That $1,000 camera was mighty powerful for its day, but the new IS tech was perhaps its most impressive feature, enabling sharp stills and steady handheld video. It's...






Olympus Stylus Tough TG-3 ships with WiFi and f/2 lens for $350, dead fish sold separately




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Olympus Stylus Tough TG-3 ships with WiFi and f/2 lens for $350, dead fish sold separately



We question Olympus' decision to photograph its latest ruggedized cam next to a dead fish, then send that image out to reporters. But puzzling marketing practices aside, this is one impressive point-and-shoot. The Stylus TG-3 hails from the company's...






How would you change the Nexus 10?




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How would you change the Nexus 10?



It's a 10.1-inch tablet with a 2,560 x 1,600 display, and that's all we need to know. Google's Nexus 10 may have been the Galaxy Tab that everyone wanted, but what did our reviewer think of it? Sadly, strapping a laptop-class display onto a tablet...






Weekends with Engadget: the future of Oculus Rift, new HTC One review and more!




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Weekends with Engadget: the future of Oculus Rift, new HTC One review and more!



Welcome to Weekends with Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines from the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. For even more news, subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!...






The UK is finally making it legal to rip a CD on June 1st




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The UK is finally making it legal to rip a CD on June 1st



After a lengthy two-year legislative process, the UK is nearly ready to drag its copyright law into the digital era. The country's Intellectual Property Office has published the final version of copyright exceptions that make it legal to rip CDs and...






Facebook scrapped last year's redesign because your screen is too small




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Facebook scrapped last year's redesign because your screen is too small



When Facebook scrapped the picture-heavy News Feed redesign from last spring in favor of a more conservative look, it briefly touched on screen size as a factor. As it turns out, displays played a more important role in the reversal than you might...






Oculus VR's John Carmack sees bright future in Facebook deal




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Oculus VR's John Carmack sees bright future in Facebook deal



When Facebook said it would buy Oculus VR, many eyes turned to Oculus CTO John Carmack. Would Quake's co-creator be happy with the deal when Facebook sees virtual reality gaming as just the beginning? Thankfully, it looks like he's staying put. In a...






Samsung's Galaxy S5 doubles as a baby monitor, if you have a Gear watch




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Samsung's Galaxy S5 doubles as a baby monitor, if you have a Gear watch



The Galaxy S5: powerhouse smartphone, fitness guru... baby monitor? Yes, you read that right. SoyaCincau has learned that Samsung's jack-of-all-trades Android flagship includes a "baby crying detector" mode that uses the phone as a listening station....






Gadget Rewind 2005: Slingbox




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Gadget Rewind 2005: Slingbox



It's our 10th birthday, and to celebrate we'll be revisiting some of the key devices of the last decade. So please be kind, rewind.



A company called Sling Media burst onto the scene in 2005 with a relatively new idea: give customers the ability to...






Inhabitat's Week in Green: Juggernaut Bike, Project Blue and a skyscraper made of desert sand




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Inhabitat's Week in Green: Juggernaut Bike, Project Blue and a skyscraper made of desert sand



Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.



It's been a big week for architecture -- especially the futuristic kind. First, winners were announced...






IRL: A closer look at the Moto G




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IRL: A closer look at the Moto G



Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.




I love low-cost smartphones that punch above their...






Saturday, March 29, 2014

Newly discovered dwarf planet could challenge what we know about our solar system




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Newly discovered dwarf planet could challenge what we know about our solar system



While Pluto might have been stripped of its full planetary status, thanks to a shift in official definitions, a newly discovered planetoid could actually hint at the existence of a "super-Earth" in the far reaches of our solar system. The ball of...






Google clamps down on Android apps with deceptive ads




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Google clamps down on Android apps with deceptive ads



Google has issued revised rules for Google Play apps in its continuing effort to stay one step ahead of nefarious developers. This time, the primary target is apps with pop-up ads that spoof a system, service or app notification and trick you into...






European Amazon listing prices LG's G2 mini at 350 euros ahead of launch




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European Amazon listing prices LG's G2 mini at 350 euros ahead of launch



So far we know most of the things we need to know about LG's G2 mini. Like, we know there will be two processor variants (Tegra 4i for Latin America and Middle East, Snapdragon 400 elsewhere), there's also a 4.7-inch (qHD) display, 1GB of RAM and an...






BlackBerry wins sales injunction against Typo's familiar-looking keyboard case




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BlackBerry wins sales injunction against Typo's familiar-looking keyboard case



It's been a tough week for Ryan Seacrest: first, American Idol ratings hit an all-time low, and now, a judge has ruled against his iPhone accessory company in court. BlackBerry has won a court order that bars Typo from selling its very familiar...






Switched On: Amazon's Puzzling Prime Directive




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Switched On: Amazon's Puzzling Prime Directive



Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.




More Info


Amazon likely to announce media streamer at April 2nd event
Showtime's Anytime app arrives on Roku
Amazon will reportedly launch a free video...






Shazam is now more social and better-looking on iOS, Android is next




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Shazam is now more social and better-looking on iOS, Android is next



As part of an ongoing major redesign on mobile, Shazam has just rolled out a new version of its iOS app. Adding to the changes we saw last month, today's update focuses on offering improved social sharing features, an even better lyrics experience...






NSA may have spied on 122 foreign leaders




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NSA may have spied on 122 foreign leaders



We've known for a while that the NSA has spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other international leaders, but it now looks like that surveillance was just the tip of the iceberg. Der Spiegel and The Intercept have published an Edward Snowden...






Daily Roundup: virtual Facebook concept, ThinkPad X1 Carbon review and more!




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Daily Roundup: virtual Facebook concept, ThinkPad X1 Carbon review and more!



You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all...






Feedback Loop: The future of VR, remote controls and breakfast phones




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Feedback Loop: The future of VR, remote controls and breakfast phones



Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need...






Japanese phones will soon get alerts for inbound missiles and other attacks




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Japanese phones will soon get alerts for inbound missiles and other attacks



The Japanese get phone alerts for natural disasters, but they have more than that to worry about these days with an occasionally belligerent North Korea just a stone's throw away. Accordingly, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency says that it...






Google mandates Android logo on device bootup screens




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Google mandates Android logo on device bootup screens



When we first booted up the new HTC One, we were greeted by a "Powered by Android" logo near the bottom of the screen; Samsung has done the same thing with the Galaxy S5. At first this may not seem like a very big deal, but thanks to some internal...






Microsoft changes privacy policy to ban accessing users' email




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Microsoft changes privacy policy to ban accessing users' email



Several days ago, it was revealed that Microsoft once accessed a blogger's email account without permission to uncover an employee who leaked source code. MS initially defended its actions, saying it was the quickest way to respond to a case of...






Yahoo might be building an online video platform, but you won't be able to use it




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Yahoo might be building an online video platform, but you won't be able to use it



Yahoo's reportedly planning to launch a web video platform in the next few months, and it intends to fill it with familiar faces and professionally made clips. How? By poaching some of YouTube's biggest stars, at least according to Recode. The...






Valve's VR guru jumps ship to become Oculus' head scientist




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Valve's VR guru jumps ship to become Oculus' head scientist



As it turns out, not everyone is bummed that Oculus VR will soon fall into Facebook's gaping maw. Valve's Michael Abrash -- one of the most notable names in the company's ambitious VR group -- just announced that he's joined Oculus as its new chief...






Study shows which Android and iOS versions are most likely to crash apps




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Study shows which Android and iOS versions are most likely to crash apps



If you've ever argued that your new smartphone is more reliable than what you're replacing, you now have some evidence to back up your claims. Crittercism has posted a study showing that apps running in newer versions of Android and iOS (such as...






State-sponsored hackers are attacking news outlets on a massive scale




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State-sponsored hackers are attacking news outlets on a massive scale



It's not hard to spot instances of state-sponsored hacking against dissidents and terrorism suspects, but it now appears that these attacks frequently target the press -- and more often than you see in the news. Google security engineers report that...






Swedish carrier hints at an HTC One M8 Mini, we feign surprise




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Swedish carrier hints at an HTC One M8 Mini, we feign surprise



HTC has just released a new One smartphone, so it stands to reason that the company would give the One Mini a similar upgrade, wouldn't it? Sure enough, there's now a hint that such an update might be in the cards. Swedroid has spotted an "M8 mini"...






BlackBerry taking 'serious look' at bringing BBM to desktops




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BlackBerry taking 'serious look' at bringing BBM to desktops



Remember when BlackBerry was hesitant to let BBM wander to other platforms? So do we, but now that the company has committed to cross-platform support by pushing its messaging service to ecosystems like iOS and Android (including the Nokia X series),...