Android Army: US soldiers to leverage portable battlefield network and smartphones

Smartphones: the future of wartime communication? That is the goal of the US Army through the development of its portable wireless network, dubbed Warfighter Information Network-Tactical or WIN-T. The Army hopes to leverage WIN-T to bring near-instant digital communication to the battlefield by outfitting soldiers with Motorola Atrix handsets running a heavily modified version of Android. An exposé by Wired explains that the system's main goal is information and intelligence sharing; between both soldiers and central command. Friendly troop positions, suspicious vehicles or persons and surveillance video from unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs) can all be mapped and shared with servicemen and women in the field. It's been a dream of the Pentagon since the mid-nineties, but has only recently become monetarily and technologically feasible due to advances in smartphone processing power. It's nerdy, it's fascinating... and this is the stuff the Army is willing to talk about. Hit the source link for the full write-up.

Android Army: US soldiers to leverage portable battlefield network and smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

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Don't worry, you're not the only one: Netflix is currently down, admins hard at work (Update: back up)

What to do on this Friday night? If your answer to that age old question was "Netflix," then you likely received a bit of a rude shock this evening upon discovery that the company's video streaming service is currently out-of-whack. If you're wondering why that is, it appears to be tied to some of Amazon's EC2 servers in Virgina losing power due to the bad weather there. As VentureBeat notes, it's a problem which is also affecting sites like Instagram and Pinterest at the moment. For its part, Netflix has acknowledged the issue via its Twitter account, to which it states, "We're aware that some members are experiencing issues streaming movies and TV shows. We're working to resolve the problem." So, there you have it. Now the only question that remains is whether you'll break out one of those red envelopes, fire up Hulu Plus or venture out to the theater to satiate your movie desires.

Update: @Netflix just tweeted that everyone should be back up, or will be shortly. The Amazon AWS dashboard indicates it's recovering as of 3:13AM, so all should be ready for your tilt-shifted Saturday brunch pics and subsequent dream board updates.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Don't worry, you're not the only one: Netflix is currently down, admins hard at work (Update: back up) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4CelfOGs4AM/

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7-Zip Stuffs Data Tight, but It's Hard to Get a Grip on This Zipper

7-Zip and p7Zip belong to a family of file compression utilities that are among the best available for Linux/Unix. So you would think that the development communities would offer to Linux users what is available in similar compression apps on the Windows and Mac platforms. Think again!

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/20c42dc5/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C75480A0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Apple SVP of Hardware Engineering, Bob Mansfield, to retire. Dan Riccio to take his place.

The man responsible for producing all the hardware that powers all of Apple's designs and software, Senior Vice President Bob Mansfield, is retiring. There's not much more to the story at this point, but he's obviously got Apple money, and like Jon Rubinstein, Tony Fadell, and Bertrand Serlet before him, he's done what he set out to accomplish, and is ready for the next chapter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/-BOWe3hojRE/story01.htm

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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.

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

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Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time

We're not entirely sure of the time line here, but it looks like Google has now rolled out the SPDY HTTP replacement to its full bevy of Web services, including Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. If you're currently using Google's Chrome browser you're probably already using SPDY.

We originally reported on SPDY way back in November 2009, when Google introduced it as yet another experiment in making the Web faster, like Go, Native Client and speculative pre-connections. Over the last 18 months, though, SPDY support has found its way into the stable build of Chrome.

SPDY is basically a streamlined and more efficient version of HTTP. At its most basic, SPDY introduces parallel, multiplexed streams over a single TCP connection -- but at the same time, SPDY allows for prioritization, so that vital content (HTML) can be sent before periphery content (JavaScript, video). All in all, the SPDY protocol can halve page load times, which is obviously rather significant.

The best bit, though, is that SPDY is an open-source project. HTTP 1.1 is a lumbering beast that needs to be replaced before low-latency real-time computing really becomes a reality, and SPDY is one of the best options currently on the table. To be honest, we're not sure why SPDY hasn't received more coverage -- it's awesome in every way. At the moment, though, the only way to help speed up SPDY's proliferation, is with an experimental Apache mod.

As far as actually 'trying it out,' your best bet is downloading Chrome, hitting up some Google sites, and then checking chrome://net-internals to see your active SPDY sessions. SPDY is a transparent replacement for HTTP, though, and as such it's rather hard to see its effects. Google's sites definitely feel fast in Chrome, but there are more technologies than just SPDY at work.

Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/11/google-chrome-now-uses-spdy-http-replacement-halves-page-load-t/

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Windows 8 getting a built-in PDF reader, Metro-style

For what seems like an eternity, Download Squad readers have reacted to news of security exploits targeting Adobe Reader with a common sentiment: why doesn't Microsoft build its own secure PDF reader into Windows? Apparently the Windows 8 team agrees, and they're working away at an application called Modern Reader which is exactly that.

From the handful of screenshots Paul Thurrott has shared, it's clear that Modern Reader has been built with Metro in mind. You can see the Reader back button in the top-left corner of the yellow image and the minimal page navigation bar on the right. We've posted some larger images we managed to scrape from Google's cache after the break.

Thurrott also mentions that Modern Reader is the first program spotted which is built using AppX -- a packaging technology that may allow developers to roll a single build to both Windows 8 desktops and Windows Phone 8 mobile devices.

Continue reading Windows 8 getting a built-in PDF reader, Metro-style

Windows 8 getting a built-in PDF reader, Metro-style originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/windows-8-getting-a-built-in-pdf-reader-finally/

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Satechi HD Digital Indoor Flat Amplified TV Antenna

This may look like a flat-screen TV, but it’s really an indoor antenna.  The HD Digital Indoor Flat Amplified TV Antenna (ST-A1500) from Satechi can help you trim your cable bills.  The antenna receives free, over-the-air digital HD signals broadcast by local TV stations, and it “comes equipped with hardware that provides the stable reception [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/06/28/satechi-hd-digital-indoor-flat-amplified-tv-antenna/

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Visualized: The iPhone five years after launch

In case you somehow missed it, today is an important milestone in technology nostalgia: it's the fifth anniversary of the original iPhone's launch. We'll let you explore the memories of that insane day on your own terms, but ComScore has produced a visual breakdown of just how ownership has grown and shifted over the years. It's not hard to see that adoption has been on an accelerating curve, especially after the 2010 launch of the Retina display-toting iPhone 4: as of this past May, about three quarters of owners have either the iPhone 4 or the iPhone 4S. And the 2007 edition? Only two percent of all iPhone owners are still actively holding on to the aluminum-clad debut model, which suggests most would rather have Siri than reminisce. Whether you're a fan or have since moved on to a competitor, the chart is a reminder of just how far one of Steve Jobs' biggest projects has come.

Visualized: The iPhone five years after launch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/29/visualized-the-iphone-five-years-after-launch/

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Tegu Announces New Endeavor and Explorer Sets and Summer Building Contest

To promote their new Endeavor and Explorer building sets, Tegu is holding a Summer Building Contest where they sent various bloggers (including yours truly) one of these new sets for us to build and enter in their contest. Using the 40 pc. Endeavor set, I created what you see above. Now I need you to go [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/06/28/tegu-announces-new-endeavor-and-explorer-sets-and-summer-building-contest/

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How Effective is the iPad as a Business Tool?

Right from the start the iPad was marketed as one of the best unique devices to be launched on the market. It’s screen size and ability to render amazing images as well as it’s great video playback lives up to this claim. However, there is more to the iPad than just this because the device offers business-savvy users some very interesting apps they can really benefit from. Although Apple is pretty independent, it does however, have in-built support for Microsoft [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/how-effective-is-the-ipad-as-a-business-tool/

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Get the Droid RAZR MAXX for $180 during Best Buy's June 29-30 sale

If you're in the market for a new Android phone, Best Buy will be putting the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX on sale for two-days (June 29 and 30) at just $180 with a new agreement. While other phones have come along that may have better specs or fancy new features, the RAZR MAXX has that 3300 mAh battery to keep running long after all other LTE phones have bit the dust. It's an impressive beast, and we still recommend it to folks on Verizon who need a dependable Android phone. 

Thanks, anon!

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/NZbOWB0_NaU/story01.htm

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Hands On With Chrome for iOS [Video]

At day two of I/O, Google repeated pretty much the same keynote, but it also finally announced Chrome for iOS. After a tortuous wait, it's landed in the App Store this afternoon, and I spent some time using it. And it's not quite what you'd hope. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/1wquea9PCnM/hands-on-with-chrome-for-ios

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New iPad Smart Covers

At the release of the iPad 2, Apple also brought out its Smart Cover product, which quickly became a favorite. Although the new iPad 3 is a little thicker through the middle than the iPad 2 (due to a bigger battery), it is still compatible with the previous Smart Covers that are currently for sale. This is excellent news as the Smart Cover not only protects the iPad screen from scratches and scrapes but is also functional and practical, and [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/new-ipad-smart-covers/

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How Effective is the iPad as a Business Tool?

Right from the start the iPad was marketed as one of the best unique devices to be launched on the market. It’s screen size and ability to render amazing images as well as it’s great video playback lives up to this claim. However, there is more to the iPad than just this because the device offers business-savvy users some very interesting apps they can really benefit from. Although Apple is pretty independent, it does however, have in-built support for Microsoft [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/how-effective-is-the-ipad-as-a-business-tool/

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Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication

Mozilla Messaging, citing Mozilla's increased focus on Web-borne communications, will be reintegrating with Mozilla Labs.

The Messaging subsidiary was formed in 2008 to focus on Thunderbird, but given Mozilla Labs' current focus on identity and contact management, it now makes sense for the groups to be merged. Thunderbird will be unaffected by the change -- some URLs might change, but that's it -- and presumably Messaging's F1 and Raindrop will thrive in the Labs playground.

What this means for the end user -- for the hundreds of millions of Firefox users -- is that the next big additions will be communication- and messaging-oriented. Contacts and F1 will be almost certainly be baked into Firefox 5 or 6, both of which will be released this year -- and, who knows, there might be something else even more exciting up Mozilla Labs' sleeve!

Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/mozilla-messaging-reintegrates-with-labs-unifies-focus-on-web-b/

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