Items tagged with IM
Fueled by the recent NSA leaks brought forth by Edward Snowden regarding PRISM, along with other government eavesdropping programs that have since been brought to light, Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde and a small team have begun work on what I hope becomes a de facto chat client: Hemlis. What sets Hemlis apart isn't so much that it offers end-to-end encryption, but the fact that it does so via an app with beautiful aesthetics. The technology behind Hemlis includes the reliable XMPP chat protocol along with PGP - the latter a common email component for privacy buffs. Ultimately, the client will be released for both iOS and Android, but I'm hoping that the project will prove successful enough...
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There's a lot more to history and archeology than just uncovering the past. Sometimes recreating the past in our present time is the best way to understand how people lived thousands of years ago. One such project, the Rome Reborn project of the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, seeks to digitally rebuild the city of Rome "as it might have appeared at the height of its urban development in the time of Constantine the Great in A.D. 320."The first version of the Rome Reborn project was ten years in the making and was completed only last year. It included digital models of the terrain and over 7,000 structures--250 of which were highly detailed. The source...
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You may recall the "Off the Air" Apple ad, which reminded consumers that if necessary, a Mac Genius at an Apple store could transfer their files from their PC to a Mac for them. After all, the ad said, "fear of switching is the foundation of customer loyalty for PCs." Well, now Belkin is adding fuel to the fire with a cable that purportedly eases the transfer of files and settings from XP or Vista to a Mac. Ironically, in 2006, Microsoft touted a cable from Belkin that helped move from XP to Vista, and even gave away the cables as part of its CES press kits. The new cable, the Belkin Switch-to-Mac Cable has an MSRP of $49.99 and reportedly: ... provides a simple way to transfer files, settings,...
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SANDISK INTRODUCES ExtremeFFS – NEW FLASH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING SSD PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY SanDisk Also Proposes Two Metrics for End-Users to Measure Performanceand Endurance: virtualRPM (vRPM) and Long-Term Data Endurance (LDE) ExtremeFFS™ greatly accelerates SSD random write speeds and endurance vRPM allows consumers to measure and compare SSD and hard disk drive performance Industry encouraged to adopt a simple endurance metric to determine the lifespan of an SSD LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, Nov. 5, 2008 —SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today unveiled an advanced flash file system for solid-state drives (SSDs) that yields dramatic improvement in performance and reliability...
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Although an application store on a mobile phone isn’t exactly new, the idea of having this functionality on a BlackBerry is. At the BlackBerry Developer Conference, RIM announced a new online application storefront and a new on-device application center for BlackBerry smartphones. RIM plans to launch the application storefront in March 2009. Developers can start submitting applications and content for inclusion in the storefront starting in December. This storefront will allow developers to set their own prices for applications and retain 80% of the revenue generated from sales of their applications. PayPal will provide payment services within the application storefront. Under the plan, organizations...
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It's no secret that most radio talk shows have a slight delay before a caller's audio reaches the air. The obvious reason: to make sure no "f-bombs" reach the sensitive ears of the public --- or the FCC. Well, Microsoft has been awarded a patent that might eliminate the need for that delay. The patent, 7437290, is for "Automatic censorship of audio data for broadcast" was first filed in 2004. Here's how it's described: An input audio data stream comprising speech is processed by an automatic censoring filter in either a real-time mode, or a batch mode, producing censored speech that has been altered so that undesired words or phrases are either unintelligible or inaudible. The automatic censoring...
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It was just a matter of time, but the defective Nvidia mobile GPUs that keep coming to light in a growing number of laptops models have finally made the unfortunate leap to desktops. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is reporting that 38 different models in its Slimline Desktop PC line are potentially affected by possibly defective Nvidia-based GPUs. HP reports that the affected models "may not boot or may not display video," and has implemented a "Limited Warranty Service Enhancement" that "provides for a motherboard replacement at no charge for 12 months from the date your one-year Hardware Limited Warranty expires or until December 31, 2009, whichever is sooner." Owners who have already paid for repairs...
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How do you roll out computer access to 1.8 million students at $70 per seat? The answer: Virtualization. The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is undertaking a "massive 5,000-school educational computing initiative" to build computer labs and give computer access to almost two million Indian children. But instead of requiring one computer per user, the system being put in place, supplied by NComputing, will allow up to seven users simultaneous access to a single computer. Credit: NComputingGet those images of a bunch of kids crowded around a single keyboard and display out of your heads--that's not how this system works. The system will utilize NComputing's X300 kit that essentially...
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The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Google-sponsored GeoEye-1 satellite, which was launched on September 6, has begun capturing image data from its orbit 423 miles above Earth. The satellite had been undergoing calibration and check out since launch, but transmitted its first, full color half-meter ground resolution images yesterday.Although the first images released from the Satellite are half-meter ground resolution, GeoEye-1 is actually capable of capturing much more precise images. Due to U.S. licensing restrictions, commercial customers--like Google--can only be given access to imagery that has been processed to half-meter ground resolution. But the GeoEye-1 satellite actually...
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XOHM, Intel and WiMAX Partners Celebrate New 4G Broadband Era in Baltimore4G mobile service provides XOHM customers a city-sized hotspot. New Intel-based notebooks, other WiMAX-ready devices on roadmap. XOHM retail push includes Web, area Mall kiosks and select Best Buy stores. Symbolic "wire-cutting" event signifies Internet freedom and mobility. Baltimore – Oct. 8, 2008 – Catalysts of a new 4G wireless broadband era gathered today in Baltimore as Sprint (NYSE: S), Intel and their WiMAX ecosystem partners celebrated the recent launch of XOHM mobile 4G service, and announced new access devices and retail strategies at an Inner Harbor event. The occasion marked a business model transformation...
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Acer Leads the Industry with the Introduction of the First Wireless 4G WiMAX-Enabled Notebooks for the U.S. MarketAspire 4930-6862 and Aspire 6930-6771 unveiled at first U.S. WiMAX network launch in Baltimore SAN JOSE, Calif. and BALTIMORE -- Acer America, part of the world’s third largest PC company (source: Gartner data, 2Q 2008), today unveiled its first WiMAX-enabled notebooks – Aspire 4930-6862 and Aspire 6930-6771 – in support of the nation’s first U.S. WiMAX wireless broadband network launched by XOHM in Baltimore. Demonstrating the company’s focus on delivering innovative technology solutions, the Aspire 4930-6862 and Aspire 6930-6771 are WiMAX-enabled Intel® Centrino 2-based notebooks...
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Baltimore is the first city to get full-on WiMAX deployment, and other U.S. cities are slated to come online soon, such as Chicago and Washington D.C. Using Intel's WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 "Echo Peak" chipset, Toshiba will soon start selling the Satellite U405-ST550W with integrated WiMAX support. The Satellite U405-ST550W Laptop will come configured with: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Intel Centrino® 2 Processor Technology Intel® WiMAX / Wi-Fi Link 13.3" Widescreen Display With TruBrite® Technology High-speed eSATA/USB Sleep-And-Charge Combo Port Built-in Webcam With Face Recognition 320GB Hard Drive 4GB RAM Toshiba Supports Introduction of Mobile WiMAX with the Launch...
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It looks like the rumored spin-off of AMD's manufacturing operations is just hours away now and reports are starting to ping across the wire of a "significant announcement" that AMD CEO Dirk Meyer will be making shortly. In fact, we've been invited to a press web cast at 8AM EST that AMD will hold in the morning. Historically, AMD has taken largely an in-house fabrication model for their wafer fabrication. However, capitalizing this effort is a huge recurring and perpetual investment that frankly only makes sense if there are significant and off-setting economies of scale. As process geometries are being driven hard by AMD's primary competitor,...
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Kingston Technology Releases Limited Edition HyperX Modules with Black Heatspreaders -- Available Only at Newegg Fountain Valley, CA – October 6, 2008 – Kingston Technology Co., Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced its popular 1066MHz HyperX DDR2 memory modules are available with limited edition black heatspreaders, exclusively for U.S. customers at online e-tailer Newegg.com. Available for Kingston part # KHX8500AD2K2/4G, the black heatspreaders show off Kingston's enthusiast memory in a new light while guaranteeing the same thermal performance benefits as the famous signature blue heatspreaders. The promotion is for a limited time only and available while supplies...
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