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| Google Play Books Adds a Host of New Features | |  Google Play Books has added some new features to its Android app, designed to enrich the online reading experience. The app now includes word translation, highlighting, note-taking functionality, as well as pop-up info cards for definitions and geographical information. It also now features a sepia-toned display option, and lets users read Japanese books the way they're meant to be consumed -- turning pages from right to left and with text in a vertical, right-to-left layout. The new additions will "help you better explore your books and understand what you're reading," Google Play product manager Xinxing Gu wrote on the official Android team blog introducing the features. The dictionary and places capability lets you click on an unfamiliar word or location to call up a small info card. The translation feature lets you select a word, then use an action bar at the top of your screen to see it displayed in another language. You can do this for phrases or individual words, but not entire blocks (or books) of text. The highlighting and note-taking features, meanwhile, are designed to replicate how you might treat your old-school, physical books by letting you highlight notable passages or annotate interesting parts. Notes you make will sync between your phone, tablet and web, thanks to Google Play Books' cloud-based content. "We hope these features make reading more enjoyable-and productive," Gu writes. Do you use Google Play Books? Will this update enrich your experience? Share with us in the comments. |
| Duke Is First College Basketball Team to Give Players iPads | | Monday, September 24, 2012 4:45 PM | Sam Laird |
|  Duke University on Monday became the first college basketball team to announce a switch from physical notebooks to iPads for players to view scouting reports, take notes and study film. The 64 GB version of the "new iPad" will provide players with practice schedules, scouting reports and stats from games and practices. They'll also be updated with video content from practice and games, as well as clips breaking down players' tendencies and what to expect from opponents. While Duke is the first in the college basketball world to announce the migration to tablet technology, a number of NFL teams have already done so. "The Duke basketball program is always trying to equip our players and staff with the very best resources, and the introduction of the iPads is another step in that direction," associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski told GoDuke.com. "This new technology will help all of us work more efficiently and productively, while communicating at a higher level. We are very excited to involve the iPads in our day-to-day operations, evaluating our scouting, video analysis, schedule and game preparation." Duke is one of college basketball's most historically successful programs. Besides adding convenience, the new player iPads will help the Blue Devils impress recruits in the ever-escalating college sports arms race for talent, luxury and cutting-edge technologies. Using the $829 stock price of a 64 GB new iPad and assuming it bought devices for 12 scholarship players and four assistant coaches, Duke would have shelled out more than $13,000 for the fleet of new technology. A group discount was almost certainly provided and the cost may well have been covered by program backers, but the steep total still shows how expensive it is to stay ahead in college sports. Players can use the devices as long as they remain a part of the team. The iPads will remain school property for that time, but players can then buy them at market value upon graduation if desired. In addition to game film and practice schedules, they'll also be able to use their iPads for scholastic help, personal entertainment and social media. Tracking software will enable the devices to be memory-wiped if lost or stolen by University of North Carolina fans looking to get a peek at the Duke game-plan. Thumbnail image courtesy Flickr, wjarrettc |
| Scientists Create a $32 Eye-Tracking Device | | Monday, September 24, 2012 4:24 PM | Tecca |
|  Scientists in London have discovered a way to make a functional eye-tracking device for around $30 from parts you can buy at any local retail store. Ordinarily, the same type of equipment would cost upwards of $7,000. Lead researcher Dr. Aldo Faisal discovered the budget device by accident. "I like to play with gadgets and was playing with a popular video-game console," he said. "I hacked it and discovered it was very fast and better than any webcam for movement. Actually, it was so fast that I found we could record eye movement with it." Eye-tracking hardware isn't a new technology. But by designing cheaper eye-tracking devices, it makes them more accessible to the millions of people who suffer from degenerative diseases or disabilities that don't allow them to use a traditional keyboard and mouse. Faisal says several companies have already approached him about mass-producing the device, but none so far have shown a true desire to keep them cheap and accessible. The doctor's goal is to ultimately sell the product for no more than $125. Image courtesy of Flickr, William Warby / feastoffun.com. |
| Another iPhone Fail: Siri Gives New Yorkers Weather for Texas | | Monday, September 24, 2012 2:49 PM | Chris Taylor |
|  Autumn in New York, and the temperatures are starting to turn with the leaves. Take Monday, when the city that never sleeps basked in a very pleasant, breezy 65 degrees. Unless you took out your iPhone and asked Siri for the weather, that is -- then it became a barely bearable 91 degrees. What gives? Click the Yahoo logo on that weather screen, and you'll find out the answer -- Siri is, in fact, giving you the temperature in New York, Texas. Don't be ashamed if you've never heard of it. New York, Texas is a town so small it's unincorporated, with a population measured in the dozens. How did that get confused with a city of 10 million people? We've reached out to Apple for comment, and will let you know what we hear back. But if we had to guess, we'd say it was a routing snafu -- one specific to Siri. (If you check Apple's weather app for New York temperatures, it gives correct results for the city.) We've also found that if you ask Siri for the weather in Brooklyn, she returns results for Brooklyn, Ohio. SEE ALSO: Apple's Maps App: Just How Bad is it? The problem appears to predate iOS 6; Apple support forums show complaints about the New York weather result as early as Sept. 19. But given the widespread reports of trouble with Apple's Maps app in iOS 6, this location-based mixup couldn't have come at a worse time. Are you seeing weird weather results via Siri? Let us know in the comments. |
| U.N. Foundation Challenges the World to Take Action | | Monday, September 24, 2012 11:22 AM | Matt Petronzio |
|  A child dies from a preventable disease every 20 seconds. Nearly 1 million people die each year from malaria. More than 1 billion people do not have access to electricity. Approximately 10 million girls under the age of 18 are married against their will every year. In an effort to get people around the world involved in these and other issues, the United Nations Foundation launched the Global Good Challenge on Monday, as a new way to tackle global problems. By taking actions through digital technology and social media, individuals can enter for the chance to win prizes and experiences. The Global Good Challenge is powered by social amplification platform plyfe to award participants points for watching informational videos, taking quizzes, voting on opinions and sharing both educational and inspirational posts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and through email. Those points go toward prizes that include meeting Lady Gaga, attending MTV's Video Music Awards and traveling overseas with the U.N. Foundation to see its work firsthand. At the 2012 Social Good Summit on Monday, Zaw Thet, co-founder and executive chairman of plyfe and founder of Palindrome Advisors, spoke about the Global Good Challenge with Chris Kelly, one of Facebook's founding team members and former head of global public policy for Facebook. They're interested in having you suggest a specific challenge by tweeting @UNFGGC and using the hashtag #GlobalGood. "We are trying to empower anyone around this world, regardless of age, regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality, income, to be able to donate theirand make a difference," Thet said. Those looking to participate can sign up for the Global Good Challenge now through mid-November to raise awareness and help the United Nations prevent malaria with Nothing But Nets, empower girls with Girl Up and protect children from preventable diseases with Shot@Life. "One of the big misconceptions that people have about Silicon Valley is that we're not involved in philanthropy, we don't care about non-profits, and I think there's a very, very large community and network that would stand up and shout to disprove that," Thet said. This initiative helps show how integrated tech and social good really are, focusing on energy and climate, global health, the work of the United Nations and women's issues. About Ericsson |
| Kim Dotcom: Megaupload Is Almost Back | | Monday, September 24, 2012 11:11 AM | Sam Laird |
|  Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom says -- well, tweets, at least -- that the next incarnation of his legendary file hosting site is almost built. In January, Dotcom was arrested in New Zealand on a request by American authorities, who want him extradited to the States to stand trial for copyright fraud. Megaupload was also shut down for encouraging online piracy. Dotcom, who for many has come to represent the tension between defenders of online intellectual property and advocates of free and open file-sharing, has teased Megaupload's return almost since his arrest. But he recently gave his most detailed update yet with this tweet: Quick update on the new Mega: Code 90% done. Servers on the way. Lawyers, Partners & Investors ready. Be patient. It's coming.— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) September 22, 2012 What exactly a Megaupload reincarnation will look like remains to be seen, of course. In a piece he wrote for the website TorrentFreak last December, Dotcom discussed a new venture called "Megabox.com, a site that will soon allow artists to sell their creations direct to consumers and allowing artists to keep 90% of earnings." A pair of Dotcom tweets in August also implied that Megabox and a new Megaupload would both hit the web by the end of 2012. Dotcom has been active on Twitter over the past several months as the Megaupload drama has slowly played out. He's used the social network to provide cryptic updates like the ones mentioned above, push his argument against prosecution and share random bits of inspiration and advice. Actively remaining in the public eye via the web is very much in keeping with Dotcom's character. Originally named Kim Schmitz in Germany, he founded Megaupload in 2005. The site quickly gained extreme popularity with Internet users and launched him into geek-world celebrity along with drawing the ire of law enforcement officials. As he gained notoriety, Dotcom -- who tips the scales at a reported six-and-a-half feet tall and nearly 300 pounds -- was never shy about flaunting his largesse. He posed for photographs with scantily clad women, participated in international auto races and paid for a lavish New Year's fireworks display in Auckland, among other pursuits. For more on his ostentatious lifestyle, check out the gallery below. |
| The 20 Worst PINs: Is Your ATM Code This Easy to Crack? | | Monday, September 24, 2012 10:50 AM | Chris Taylor |
|  Remember that list of the most frequently-used passwords? Did you have a good chuckle at the fact that "password", "123456" and "qwerty" were at the top? You, of course, would never use something so foolish. But there's another passcode in your pocket, one with just four digits. It can probably unlock a whole lot more of your wealth than your computer. And it may be a lot easier for a thief to guess at it. According to one analysis, nearly 27% of us use the top 20 most common PIN numbers on our ATM cards. Nick Berry, a former rocket scientist and the president of Data Genetics, examined 3.4 million PINs and revealed his results in a blog post. No doubt you can guess the most common one. You got it: 1234. What's more surprising -- or depressing -- is the fact that it's used by almost 11% of card holders. The runner-up, 1111, is used by more than 6% of us. Here are the top 20: Not many of these are a huge surprise. We knew 7 was a lucky number, and 6969 is bound to be memorable (although just half a percent of people are dumb enough to use it.) But we're mystified by the fact that 1004 is so high on the list (number 6). It isn't in any kind of line on a regular ATM keypad (though it is on a computer keyboard). Are there perhaps an inordinate amount of us born on October 4th? SEE ALSO: The 30 Most Popular Passwords Stolen From LinkedIn Regardless, the blog post is a clear wake-up call. There are 10,000 possible combinations of four digits, and naturally all of them get used -- but Berry says 50% of us use just 426 codes. Pick up an ATM card on the street, and you have a 1 in 5 chance of unlocking its cash by entering just five PINs. That's the kind of Russian Roulette that's going to be attractive to any casual thief. As for the least-used four-digit PIN code? Berry identifies it in his data set: 8068, which showed up just 25 times in 3.4 million numbers. Though of course, as he cautions, you really shouldn't change your number to that. It won't be the least-used for long, and thieves can read these articles too. Is your PIN in the top 20? Should banks add a digit or two to your cash card passcode to make them safer? Sound off in the comments. |
| How to Set Up Multiple Email Signatures in iOS 6 | | Monday, September 24, 2012 10:21 AM | Andrea Smith |
|  I didn't get a new iPhone 5 this weekend, but I did spend some time upgrading the operating system on my iPhone 4S to iOS 6. While my upgrade was downloading, I made sure to re-read our 10 Best Things About iOS 6 to get a sense of what goodies I was in store for. I also checked out The 8 Worst Things About iOS 6 just so I knew what I was facing. There are many new features in iOS 6 I can't wait to play with. The ability to create a VIP list in my email to make sure important messages don't get buried is right up there. So is Passbook, where I can store loyalty cards and plane and movie tickets in one place on my phone. The Do Not Disturb feature is great for parents who never want to miss a call from their kids or perhaps the school. It lets you turn your ringer off if you're in a meeting, but will allow pre-determined numbers to come through. However, the feature I hadn't read about that made me the most excited when I found it is the ability to create separate signatures for each of your email accounts. This may not seem like such a huge deal -- like many people, I have separate accounts on my iPhone. One is for work, and I'd like to have a professional signature on it, especially since I've been known to answer work emails on my iPad on the train or while I'm waiting for an interview. I also have my personal Gmail account on my iPhone. Every time I send an email from it, I take the extra steps to delete the signature that shows up because the people I'm emailing don't need to see all that info. Heck, some of them don't even know me by that last name. SEE ALSO: Hands On With iOS 6 And then there's what I call my spam account. You do have one of these, don't you? This is where my coupons, daily deals, store sale events, etc. go to. If I do, for some reason, answer one of these, it doesn't need a signature of any kind. Before iOS 6, you were allowed one common signature that appeared on each email account. You could delete or add to it as you liked within each email, somewhat of a pain. Now, each of those accounts can have it's own distinct signature. So, your work email can give all your contact info, or perhaps promote an upcoming event while you're personal account can have some snarky message about not being responsible for type-o's and auto-correct. Here's how to set it up: Go to Settings on your home screen, select Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Scroll way down until you see the Signature option. Tap on it and you'll see the options shows in the image below.
All Accounts will enable one signature to be sent from all your email accounts. Tap Per Account and each of your accounts will pop up, allowing you to create personalized signatures for each of them. (see image below)
Now, when you send an email, iOS 6 will automatically know which account it's coming from and apply the correct signature. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, subman |
| 33% of Mobile Phone Owners Would Pick Up Calls During Sex [STUDY] | | Monday, September 24, 2012 9:47 AM | Samantha Murphy |
|  One in three mobile phone owners believe it is acceptable to answer the phone while having sex, a new study suggests. New research collected by British-based mobile company Vodafone -- which conducted a study among 2,000 British adults -- found that mobile phones continue to infiltrate some of our most intimate moments, making it harder to power down and truly enjoy the present time. The study revealed that 33% respondents would pick up the phone to either answer a call during sex. In addition, 51% said it's OK to do so at a wedding and 54% said it is acceptable to pick up while out to dinner. About 57% said they would pick up a call while going to the bathroom. SEE ALSO: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?/a> The report also found that most mobile phone owners have between one and 50 numbers in their contacts but only speak to about five to 10 of those on a regular basis. Some 80% of respondents said they have numbers in their phone that they have never called and probably never will. Another recent study by Verifone piggybacks these findings, reporting 40% believe talking on the phone is a dying art form. So what does this mean? Perhaps it's only a matter of time before people start ignoring calls during sex ... and opt to check their text messages instead. Image courtesy of Flickr, EmmyEcstasy |
| Do iPhone 5 and iOS 6 Devour Battery Life? | | Monday, September 24, 2012 8:39 AM | TechNewsDaily |
|  Some new iPhone 5 owners may feel like they are in the movie Gaslight, in which a man tries to drive his wife crazy by making her think that much of what she sees and remembers isn't true. Early reviews of the newest iPhone praised its exceptional battery life, using phrases like "great battery life" (Wall Street Journal) and "Better battery life? Actually, yes." (Engadget). But a Google search for "iPhone 5 battery life" turns up scads of complaints by owners, including on Apple's own user forums, featuring such words as "battery drains unusually fast," "the battery barely lasts" and "definitely seeing major drainage." According to Apple, the battery in the iPhone 5 should provide up to 8 hours of web-surfing and other Internet use, even on the notoriously power-hungry LTE wireless service that is a key selling point of the new device. Apple also claims an amazing 8 hours of talk time — though that's only if you shift down to 3G wireless service. SEE ALSO: iPhone 5 Fans Want More Features, Still Line Up (TechNewsDaily) Some users are claiming far, far less. One reported losing 10% of the charge every 15 minutes doing nothing but texting and without Wi-Fi turned on. Another wrote that the battery charge dropped 40% overnight, with no apps running and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless turned off. Yet, for every complaint about battery life, there are about as many users praising the performance, saying they are getting about the same or better endurance with the iPhone 5 than with previous models, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Our sister site, Laptopmag, reviewed the iPhone 5 and did see an endurance boost. The iPhone 4S running iOS 6 lasted 5 hours and 54 minutes when surfing the web continuously over 3G on 40% brightness. The iPhone 5 lasted 7:13 on the same test, so more than one hour longer. SEE ALSO: The iPhone 5 -- How Did We Get Here? (TechNewsDaily) If there is a problem, it may lie not in the iPhone 5 but in the latest operating system, iOS 6. Some people are having similar problems with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S after upgrading to iOS 6. One person said the battery had dropped 40% after an hour and a half of the phone "doing nothing." Another noted losing 56% in 2 hours and 20 minutes of "simply reading" on the device. Both said that these results were far worse than what they had gotten from the same smartphone before the software upgrade. For some people, talk time has also suffered. Apple has had battery-draining issues in the past with new operating systems and has fixed them with software patches. The iOS 6 introduces many new features -- including a much-maligned map application -- that may consume power differently or use wireless services in different ways. iPhone owners, or Apple itself, may have to make adjustments to how this software runs in order to reduce the drain on the battery. At the moment, it's too early to tell if the fast battery drain is a widespread problem or a fluke, and whether — if there is a problem — it will be easy to fix. |
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