Microsoft loosens up, enables Windows Phone 7 apps to run beneath screen lock

We felt that Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was a product that would be perpetually evaluated, tweaked and overhauled as time went on, and sure enough, we're already seeing those winds of change blow yonder. Reportedly, Microsoft has now removed the restriction that prevented developers from writing applications that would continue to operate behind a locked screen (without a user's explicit permission, anyway), enabling a whole host of apps to breathe in a manner in which they simply should. Audio apps, for example, will now be able to run in the background without yet another layer of pointless Vista-esque permissions, and Microsoft's Charlie Kindel said in an interview at its Professional Developer Conference that this move "is an example of us continuing to listen to customers." Frankly, it's just more fair -- Microsoft's own ingrained applications could already do this sans user permission (email, Zune playback, downloads, etc.), so it makes sense to give loyal developers that same opportunity. Of course, devs will have to prove that background apps won't burn up an absurd amount of battery life, but that's definitely not an unexpected qualification.

Microsoft loosens up, enables Windows Phone 7 apps to run beneath screen lock originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/JaKWPjn6u3s/

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No Change? Buy Candy With PayPal, Your Phone and Twitter

A proof-of-concept vending machine shows how we can dispense with cash for everyday purchases, skipping credit and debit cards altogether and going straight to electronic transfer.
The vending machine uses QR codes, PayPal, a smartphone camera and Twitter. And, to complete the geek-buzzword bingo checklist, the hardware is based in part on Arduino, an open source [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/10/no-change-for-the-vending-machine-buy-candy-with-paypal/

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Flip offers moustachio'd cameras for Movember

Sure, different color options and various designer patterns are all well and good, but what gadgets really need more of is moustaches. Thankfully, Flip has now stepped in to fill that void with no less than eleven different moustache designs for the month of Movember. Available on the Flip UltraHD, MinoHD and SlideHD (and in various capacities), the moustachio'd offerings include handsome options like The Professor and The Auteur (pictured above) and, best of all, Flip will donate $10 from each purchase to the Movember Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for men's health. Hit up the source link below to check out all the options available, and to place your order if you find one that suits your style.

Flip offers moustachio'd cameras for Movember originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vGApo7OS9_k/

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Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video)

For a while now, there has been a conversation going on in certain circles (you know, space circles): namely, if the most prohibitive part of a manned flight to Mars would be the return trip, why bother returning at all? And besides the whole "dying alone on a hostile planet 55-million-plus kilometers from your family, friends, and loved ones" thing, we think it's a pretty solid consideration. This is just one of the topics of discussion at a recent Long Now Foundation event in San Francisco, where NASA Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden discussed the Hundred Year Starship Initiative, a project NASA Ames and DARPA are undertaking to fund a mission to the red planet by 2030. Indeed if the space program "is now really aimed at settling other worlds," as Worden said, what better way to encourage a permanent settlement than the promise that there will be no coming back -- unless, of course, they figure out how to return on their own. Of course, it's not like they're being left to die: the astronauts can expect supplies from home while they figure out how to get things up and running. As Arizona State University's Dr. Paul Davies, author of a recent paper in Journal of Cosmology, writes, "It would really be little different from the first white settlers of the North American continent, who left Europe with little expectation of return." Except with much less gravity. See Worden spout off in the video after the break.

Continue reading Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video)

Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/31/hundred-year-starship-initiative-plans-to-put-people-on-mars-by/

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Microsoft Has Seen The Light. And It?s Not Silverlight.

Nearly a year ago, Microsoft pulled together a group of reporters for Bing Fall Release event. The highlight of the presentation was a demo showing off some nifty new features in Bing Maps. The problem? All of this stuff required Microsoft's Silverlight browser plug-in to work. I berated the company for once again pushing users towards a more proprietary web. So today it's time to laud them, as they seem to be backing away from that strategy. During last week's Professional Developers Conference (PDC), ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley asked Bob Muglia, Microsoft's SVP of the Server and Tools Business, why the company failed to highlight Silverlight in a meaningful way this year. His answer was rather surprising.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3UVXfa-93t0/

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Microsoft Has Seen The Light. And It?s Not Silverlight.

Nearly a year ago, Microsoft pulled together a group of reporters for Bing Fall Release event. The highlight of the presentation was a demo showing off some nifty new features in Bing Maps. The problem? All of this stuff required Microsoft's Silverlight browser plug-in to work. I berated the company for once again pushing users towards a more proprietary web. So today it's time to laud them, as they seem to be backing away from that strategy. During last week's Professional Developers Conference (PDC), ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley asked Bob Muglia, Microsoft's SVP of the Server and Tools Business, why the company failed to highlight Silverlight in a meaningful way this year. His answer was rather surprising.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3UVXfa-93t0/

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Top 30 Android Apps Of All Time

With the ubiquitous media coverage surrounding the iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) app market, it's important to remember that Android also is making huge headway. More than 100,000 apps are now available in the Android Market. Within the last six months, Android devices have reigned supreme, comprising 32 percent of all new smartphone purchases. There is finally a larger selection of models being manufactured and more carriers offering them. When the first Android device launched, I predicted that the OS would surpass iPhone in the coming years. While this looks to be true, those of us involved in the app industry are concerned with something more specific: Who will have the most active app marketplace? Currently, iOS is still the definitive winner. There is not enough app interest on the Android consumer front to warrant a mass exodus just yet. I have a pretty simple metric for determining the potential of an app market: Is PopCap involved? If the answer is no, then the market is still too green. While PopCap has yet to enter the Android space, they have noted plans to port some of their game titles in the coming months. This supports the notion that Android has big potential, but it's still too early. Nevertheless, Android does have serious potential, and there are some fantastic apps already available! Without further ado, here are my top all-time picks for the Android platform, broken down by top free apps, top paid apps, and top games

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rfTXa-OyesQ/

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Quirky Contort, An Ingenious USB-Hub and Cable Manager

Contort is another crazy-useful looking gadget from the seemingly bottomless idea-pit at Quirky. Like all Quirky gear, it combines simplicity with a re-think of existing solutions. This particular widget is a four-port USB-hub and cable-manager.
At Quirky, they actually are working with a bottomless pit of ideas. A community of internet denizens coughs out an idea [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/10/quirky-contort-an-ingenious-usb-hub-and-cable-manager/

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12-yo Girl Prevents Kidnapping By Pretending iPod Touch Is a Phone [Creeps]

This week in Stanton, Delaware, a 12-yo girl was confronted by a man driving a white van. He told her to get in. She held up her iPod Touch and said she'd dialed 911. That may have saved her life. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RwS-igTLI48/12+yo-girl-prevents-kidnapping-by-pretending-ipod-touch-is-a-phone

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Energizer Qi wireless charging base station spotted in the wild

It's taken quite awhile to go from christening to shipping, but Qi looks just about ready to make its mark on the public. And on Powermat's bottom line. We've known all along that Energizer was a huge proponent of the protocol, and now we're finding that review units are making their way out to the media. YouTube user akaTRENT seems to have gotten his earlier than most, and he's been so kind as to offer up an unboxing of the inductive charging station as well as a sleeve for the iPhone 4. We're planning on giving this same setup a whirl in due time, but if you're interested to see how this guy looks in the flesh, there's a play button with your name on it just beyond the break.

Continue reading Energizer Qi wireless charging base station spotted in the wild

Energizer Qi wireless charging base station spotted in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/30/energizer-qi-wireless-charging-base-station-spotted-in-the-wild/

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This Desk Is Cooler Than Your Desk Because It's a 58" iPhone [IPhone]

Whether owning a "Table Connect" would make you awesome, or something of a douchebag, is probably a matter of taste. But there's no doubt it's technically impressive—taking input from your iPhone to create a fully touch-functional, desk-sized replica. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MrZ_9Z-2LIE/this-desk-is-cooler-than-your-desk-because-its-a-58-iphone

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Entourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network

We're still trying to understand why Entourage has chosen the Home Shopping Network of all places to reveal its new Pocket Edge, but at least we now know that the previously spied dualscreen tablet / e-reader lives! Although the 1.35-pound device has been shrunken down with smaller displays -- a 6-inch "Wacom Penabled" e-ink panel and 7-inch LCD -- it actually doesn't appear like much else has been changed from the original. Unfortunately, that means our biggest complaints about the device are very much present -- it's got a resistive touchscreen and appears to run an older version of Android. If it's any consolation, the trackball on the right edge has been replaced with an optical touchpad and there are now red and black color options. Spec-wise, it still boasts 4GB of storage, a 2 megapixel camera (hopefully there's software now that takes advantage of it), 802.11 b/g, a USB port, and micro-SD slot. It is, however, more affordable -- though it's originally priced at $499, HSN has a sale running that puts it at $399. Of course, no word on if a 3G version will be arriving at Verizon as we've previously heard, but we're sure this thing will get its official unveil sometime soon. Until then feel free to keep yourself preoccupied with the gallery below and at the source link -- just don't get lost in the cookware section.

Gallery: Entourage Pocket Edge on HSN.com

Entourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/30/entourage-pocket-edge-reveals-itself-on-the-home-shopping-networ/

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