Huawei Ascend P2 flaunts svelte profile in more leaked shots Mobile
Sky will broadcast final preseason F1 tests in 3D to UK viewers HD
While Ecclestone may not be willing to push the envelope in broadcast tech, having Sky as a broadcast partner could force the issue as it justifies its exclusive access and dedicated broadcast channel. Last season the network upgraded the audio to Dolby 5.1 and added features like the Race Control view in its iPad app. Sky has previously featured sporting events on its 3D channel like Ryder Cup golf, Premier League and of course the 2012 Olympics. It says F1 will be the 14th sport it's delivered in 3D, although we'll have to wait until after this maiden test from February 28th to March 3rd -- it will also be available in 2D HD on the regular F1 channel -- to see if it becomes a regular fixture. Now, about those HD on-board cameras....
Cadillac to update CUE infotainment system for improved responsiveness
If unresponsiveness in Cadillac's CUE infotainment system has been a personal point of frustration, relief is on the way: an update to smooth things over is being worked on. CUE Design Manager Jeff Massimilla told Wired that the firm's received feedback regarding responsiveness, and they're working on "a modification that will be released sometime later this year." With the upgrade, the infotainment system will be more responsive and the touchscreen and capacitive buttons will provide haptic feedback more quickly. The Cadillac XTS and ATS are set to score the update, but there's still no exact date penciled in for the patch's arrival. Though vehicles could suck down the update with a built-in data connection, the software will need to be installed by a Cadillac dealership instead. Not a fan of having lost knobs and dials to a touchscreen in the first place? According to Cadillac VP of Marketing Don Butler, we'll see the likes of such analog controls complement the screen interface in the future.
High-rolling (or just highly nerdy) home theater PC setups often have network-attached storage to hold the reams of video that invariably won't fit on the PC itself. QNAP wonders why we don't just cut to the chase -- both of its TS-x69L and TS-x69 Pro entries in the Turbo NAS range support XBMC's home theater software out of the gate, letting either NAS serve as the front-end as long as they're hooked up through HDMI. They won't be the most powerful when they're powered by dual-core, 2.13GHz Atom chips; that might be forgiven when there's space for as many as eight hard drives shareable across the entire home. The lineups start at $479 for empty two-bay editions and scale up to $1,099 for eight. Not cheap, we know, but they may be relative bargains for any movie-watchers looking to simplify the living room.
If you've ever been creeped out by those targeted ads on Facebook, they're about to be a touch easier to spot. The social network has agreed with the Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program to start displaying the "AdChoice" icon (the image above) in behaviorally targeted Facebook Exchange (FBX) ads, but only when users roll over a gray "x" above the ad. Not only will this let them know the ad is marketed to them based on browser behavior, but it'll let them opt out of that specific ad network. Facebook'll also replace the "Report this ad" hover text with a more descriptive phrase like "Learn about Facebook Ads."
However, it's unclear if this is in complete compliance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines for "clear and prominent notice" since the ads still require user interaction to reveal their targeted nature. In an emailed statement from Facebook, Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan said: "At Facebook, we work hard to build transparency and control into each of our products, including our advertising offerings." Whether you agree with that or not, you'll start seeing the AdChoice implementation in desktop FBX ads at the end of March.
When there's a sea of shows to dig through in Boxee TV's web interface, finding one won't always be easy without knowing the exact name. A range of updates hitting the servers should put an end to the guesswork while throwing in a few extras at the same time. The freshened portal brings an autocompleting search box that should speed up finding shows in the guide and, eventually, cloud DVR recordings. Viewers with a load of archived episodes aren't left out to dry, either -- the recording viewer now stuffs TV shows and movies into a more compact grid view, and offers a quick recording override if there's suddenly a more important show in the same time slot. While deeper, firmware-based updates are still on the way, it's nice to have the web update as a prelude.
QNAP adds NAS lines with XBMC support, skips the home theater middleman HD
Australian High Court rescues Google, says it isn't responsible for the content of ads
No one can doubt the stamina of Australia's consumer watchdog, the ACCC. For six long years it hauled Google from hearing to hearing, court to court, in the belief that the internet giant should be held responsible for any "misleading" advertisements displayed as search results. But now the ACCC must accept defeat. Five judges of Australia's High Court have unanimously overturned an earlier ruling from a lower court that would have required Google to set up a compliance program to vet ads. The upshot is that Mountain View can't be blamed if one of those ads turns out to be deceptive. The specific example that triggered the lawsuit -- that if someone had searched Google in 2006 for the words "Honda Australia," they'd have been shown a sponsored link from one of Honda's rivals -- may already seem like an outdated objection. As a result of this final ruling, that's exactly what it is.
Deezer teams up with LG, Samsung and Toshiba to bring its music service to smart TVs HD
We were already well aware of Deezer making its way toward some LG Smart TVs in the UK, but now the streaming service has announced it'll be coming to many, many more savvy television sets in the very near future. The digital tunes provider let it be know that it's struck a deal with Samsung, Toshiba and, yet again, LG, one that's bound to make the Deezer application available to a "potential audience of at least 600 million people across more than 150 countries." There's a slight caveat, however, as the recently announced deal comes with somewhat of a limited scope -- namely the fact Deezer's set to only be usable on Samsung smart TVs in Europe that were produced in 2011, while the same goes for LG's but with the exception of a worldwide availability. Toshiba, on the other hand, will be able to bring the music offering to its 2011-range in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, as well as the company's new 2013 smart TV lineup to users all around the globe. This, naturally, excludes us folks in the good ol' US of A, since, as you may know, Deezer is still trying to figure things out this side of the pond.
Scientists let a moth drive a robot, study its tracking behavior (video) Alt
Insect-inspired robots are nothing new, but an insect driving a robot is decidedly novel. Graduate student Garnet Hertz managed to get a cockroach to control a mobile robot back in 2006, but scientists over at the University of Tokyo changed it up a bit by having a silk moth drive a small two-wheeled bot in pursuit of a female sex pheromone. As with the cockroach, the male moth steered the bot by walking around on a rotating ball, no training required. This isn't just for fun and games of course; the eventual goal of the study is to apply the moth's tracking behavior to autonomous robots, which will be helpful for situations like hunting down environmental spills and leaks. Until then, we're crossing our fingers for a moth-driven Monster Truck rally. Check out both cockroach and moth-driving videos after the break.
Lumia 710 for T-Mobile won't be updated to Windows Phone 7.8 Mobile
For reasons that aren't quite clear, T-Mobile has just confirmed to TmoNews that the Nokia Lumia 710 won't receive a bump to Windows Phone 7.8. While the update has taken its share of criticisms as a purely cosmetic revision, we've a feeling that more than a few folks were looking forward to the world of resizable live tiles -- seems like a reasonable expectation, right? Fortunately, even in spite of T-Mobile's mind-boggling decision, Lumia 710 owners can take the situation into their own hands and manually install the Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade. We'll keep you posted if we learn anything more, but in the meantime, you can find the carrier's painful doublespeak after the break.
RIAA copyright takedown requests to Google reach 10 million
Something tells us they won't be handing out gold watches for this milestone. Just eight months after Google added copyright takedown requests to its Transparency Report, the search firm can claim to have almost exactly 10 million such requests from the RIAA. A dive into the numbers very quickly explains just how they built up so quickly. The RIAA and the music labels attached to it have topped at least the most recent monthly requests, and they're collectively issuing hundreds of thousands of notices every week. We certainly don't expect the industry group to hang up its hat just because it's at a nice, round figure: when pirate sites rarely stay down for long, and the RIAA all but accuses Google of being an accomplice to piracy despite censorship concerns, the current game of infringement whack-a-mole is only likely to continue.
Facebook to point out behaviorally targeted ads
However, it's unclear if this is in complete compliance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines for "clear and prominent notice" since the ads still require user interaction to reveal their targeted nature. In an emailed statement from Facebook, Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan said: "At Facebook, we work hard to build transparency and control into each of our products, including our advertising offerings." Whether you agree with that or not, you'll start seeing the AdChoice implementation in desktop FBX ads at the end of March.
Boxee TV web app gets autocompleting searches, revamped recordings view HD
Scientists 3D-print embryonic stem cells, pave the way for lab-made organ transplants Alt
3D printers already have a firm footing the commercial market, with more than 20 models available for well-heeled DIYers, and the technology's appeal isn't lost on the scientific community. A team at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland has developed a method for 3D-printing clusters of human embryonic stem cells in a variety of sizes. Researchers have successfully printed 3D cells before, but this is the first time that embryonic cell cultures, which are especially delicate, have been built in three dimensions. Human embryonic stem cells can replicate almost any type of tissue in the human body -- and the scientists at Heriot-Watt believe that lab-made versions could one day be used to make organ transplants, thereby rendering donors unnecessary. In the nearer future, 3D-printed stem cells could be used to make human tissue models for drug testing; effectively eliminating the need for animal testing. Makes that Burritob0t look a little less ambitious, doesn't it?
Microsoft Surface Pro review
Running Windows is all well and good, but when you're running the RT flavor, which strips compatibility with the entire, massive and still-swelling catalog of Windows applications, you're left with a desktop-class operating system completely bereft of any desktop apps. Welcome, then, to the Surface for Windows Pro, which promises all the niceties of the Surface RT -- compelling design, build quality, performance -- with full support for x86 Windows applications. (That is: every single Windows app released before the end of last year.) And, adding a 1080p display to the mix doesn't hurt. So, then, is this perfection in a single 10-inch, $899 device? Let's find out.
Liberty Global buys Virgin Media for $23.3 billion HD
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