The Patent World War

Even though Google lawyer David Drummond laid into Apple, Microsoft and Oracle in his public critique of their anti-Android patent lawsuits, it was Microsoft that really ended up tussling with the search giant on open ground. But that doesn't mean Apple and Oracle are easing up their own patent battles; so far, they're just saving their arguments for the courtroom.

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ZENandTECH 11: Boundaries

Our podcast feed Download Directly Subscribe via iTunes Georgia and Rene talk about the importance... More →

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Qualcomm Explores A New Market: Finding Your Lost Dog

Qualcomm. You've probably heard of them. Hell, chances are pretty solid that you've got a bit of Qualcomm in your pocket right now ? if you've got any recent, popular Android phone in there, at least. More-likely-than-not, it's running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset. Qualcomm has been up to all sorts of fun stuff lately: they've got an SDK that makes it feasible for just about any developer to build otherwise insurmountable augmented reality projects, they're doing all sorts of work around location-based peer-to-peer technology, and now they're... uh.. building rechargeable GPS collars that help you track down your lost dog.

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Google: Buying Friends And Influencing Handsets

Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility is, in the end, a mercenary effort to cement Android's position in the handset ecosystem and to prop up a stalwart proponent of the platform. That's fine. Google is a big company and it can now pick and choose - and buy - its own friends without input from the peanut gallery. But what does a Googorola merger mean? First, we must understand that this is not a merger of equals. Motorola split itself in January after years of lagging phone sales. Motorola's revenue dropped from a high of $10.6 billion to $4.89 billion in Q3 of 2010. They lost half of their portion of the handset market between 2008 and 2009, thus forcing the split from what is now called Motorola Solutions, a company that does everything except make handsets.

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Daily Crunch: Finish Line Edition

Thanko Sells Underwater Video Camera Goggles The Pringle?s Can Antenna Is Now 10 This Wood Bike Looks Like It Came Out Of Minecraft ? In A Good Way Laser Research Company TeraDiode Starting Humble, But Hopes To Make Ray Guns Soon Card-Case Speaker Is A Speaker Like A Card Case

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Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more

Steve Jobs doesn't like fingerprints any more than you do, and given the man's focus on aesthetic perfection, we suspect that smudged displays are the sort of thing that keeps him awake at night. Apple has certainly flirted with oleophobic anti-grease displays in the past, but a newly surfaced patent application takes the whole thing to a new level. "Direct Liquid Vaporization for Oleophobic Coatings" outlines an intense process for the application of a grease resistant coating, whereby the substance is "placed in a liquid supply system coupled to a vacuum chamber," pressurized, vaporized, and then deposited. Take that, finger grease.

Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi A0 monocycle concept takes you for a jaunt around the park (video)

Segways can be tiring, what with all that required standing, but now even the laziest among us can enjoy the self-propelled fun with a sitdown solution. The Audi A0 concept, developed as a joint collaboration between Technische Universität München and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, combines an electric motor with a single, hollow wheel for a self-stabilizing, tilt-controlled stroll. Cruising along at a maximum speed of up to 15 km/h (that's 9 mph to you Yanks), this leisure-minded monocycle isn't meant for rush hour commuting, but can be folded up to fit in your car's trunk for a casual ride around the great outdoors. Don't expect to get too far on that sightseeing trek though, as the cycle's battery only lasts for up to an hour. Curious to see this one-wheeler in motion? Then skip past the break for a full video demo.

[Thanks, Angel]

Continue reading Audi A0 monocycle concept takes you for a jaunt around the park (video)

Audi A0 monocycle concept takes you for a jaunt around the park (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HAPMAP navigational system keeps your eyes on the prize, your hands on the route (video)

Alternative navigational systems aren't exactly new, but the concept shown here just might have wings. HAPMAP was one of a handful of projects selected for demonstration at SIGGRAPH's E-tech event, aiming to keep a human's eye away from the map (and in turn, on whatever's in front of them) by developing a system that guides via haptics. With a handheld device capable of both navigating and vibrating, the interface indicates complex navigation cues that follow the curvature of a road or path -- it's far more detailed than the typical "go straight," and there's also opportunity here to provide handicapped individuals with a method for getting to previously inaccessible locales. By mimicking the operation and interface of sliding handrails (as well as using motion capture cameras), it's particularly useful for the visually impaired, who need these subtle cues to successfully navigate a winding path. Hop on past the break for a couple of demonstration vids.

Gallery: HAPMAP navigational system demo at SIGGRAPH 2011

Continue reading HAPMAP navigational system keeps your eyes on the prize, your hands on the route (video)

HAPMAP navigational system keeps your eyes on the prize, your hands on the route (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Best Free iPad Apps

It is an absolute requirement for every iPad user to fill up their own device with a collection of apps, or applications, in order to make it more interesting. Every user knows that apps should never be neglected, and that it is important to find and download all the best ones as soon as possible. [...]

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This Week's Top Web Comedy Video: John Stamos Teaches You How to Cuddle [Video]

If the idea of snuggling up close to John Stamos gives you uncomfortable flashbacks to a long-maned Jesse Katsopolis gyrating wildly in an Elvis jumpsuit, stop that. And accept that those should be the most comfortable flashbacks you can have. More »

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Timberland?s Folding Shoes Zip Up Tight

If I manage to convince the higher-ups at Wired.com to unchain me from my desk, I may be taking a vacation later this summer. Whereas many people buy guidebooks and start planning what sights they will see, I start looking for vacation gadgets. If I can spend $100 to make my carry-on luggage a few [...]

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

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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Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet ? The Cure for Business?

Is the corporate world ready for Android ? Is Android ready for the corporate world? Lenovo seems to want us to think so. Due for release on August 23, the new Thinkpad Tablet is being pitched firmly at the corporate market. This 10.1″ WXGA , IPS, Gorilla Glass unit comes with Android 3.1, 64GB storage, [...]

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O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only

O'reilly make some of the best computer books in the world. They also sell them as DRM-free e-books in a bunch of formats, including PDFs and Mobi for Kindle.

They usually offer one "Deal of the Day", which is a 50% discount code for a book chosen for that one day. But just for for today, they've created a discount code -- DDJPN -- that gives you a 50% discount on their entire catalog, and they give a part of the proceeds to aid Japan relief efforts.

So far they've raised over $60,000, and the day is still young. So if you've been recently hankering after some nerdy book (or three), now would be a great time to grab one.

O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile: overages on 200MB data plan in, throttling out

Bad news T-Mobile fans: AllThingsD just confirmed that throttling on the 200MB plan is going the way of the dodo, with the carrier opting to charge overage fees instead. Under the new entry-level plan, those exceeding their monthly allotment will face a $0.10 overage per megabyte, until their penalties reach $30 -- the capped surcharge. The switchover won't happen until midnight tomorrow (the 13th), so those of you seeking to get grandfathered into the throttled plan better hop to it. Or you could just splurge on a pricier data plan, just like Little Magenta would want you to...

T-Mobile: overages on 200MB data plan in, throttling out originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Chrome and Chromium add protection against malicious downloads

Google Chrome already sports a number of security-minded features, from Incognito mode to a software sandbox which makes exploiting the browser a Herculean task. Now, Google has announced additional protection for Chromium and Chrome users.

Built upon the Safe Browsing API, the new feature introduces protection against malicious downloads. If a download link appears in the Safe Browsing blacklist, Chrome and Chromium will warn users against downloading -- a save button is still presented, of course, in case you're convinced a file is perfectly safe to download.

We'd like to see something a bit more eye-catching than the red warning icon -- like perhaps painting the entire bar red. Many of the people a feature like this aims to protect probably won't notice the icon or change in wording as they'll be focused on clicking the save button.

Google is initially making download protection available to Chrome dev channel users, and you'll likely see it in Canary and Chromium snapshot builds as well. After thorough testing, beta and stable users will be next in line.

Google Chrome and Chromium add protection against malicious downloads originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concrete Alternative Could Make For Stronger Buildings

As Japan works to repair the damage caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami, a newly discovered alternative to concrete may make structures stronger in a fraction of the time.
Japanese architectural design office TIS & Partners created CO2 Structure, a building material that supersedes brick and concrete in many ways. When combined with epoxy or [...]

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What Would You Tell Your Friend if He Was a Terrorist? [Terrorism]

Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Oregon State University student, had planned to set off a car bomb at a 2010 Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon before he was caught (in a setup). His friends had no idea. Now, with hindsight, they're writing letters to him. More »

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