Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'

Google, according to reports from "a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem" is finally locking down the open source and easily-fragmented Android operating system.

As it currently stands, Google hands over the 'final' code for each version of Android, and OEMs and developers then spend some time customizing the OS to fit their hardware, and to create a unique and marketable flavor. That's all set to change, however.

Over the last few months, according to several people familiar with the matter, Android licensees such as HTC, Motorola and Facebook, have been asked to sign 'non-fragmentation clauses.' This new contract caveat will give Google the right to review and pass judgment on all changes to the Android OS. Two executives at Facebook say that they're unhappy that Google gets to review its changes to Android -- which is understandable, given Facebook and Google are direct competitors -- and there have also been allegations that Google is preventing some Verizon devices from shipping because they include Microsoft's Bing instead of Google search.

Continue reading Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'

Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source' originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-demands-veto-on-android-changes-stretches-definition-of/

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This Alarm Won't Scare You out of Bed in the Morning [Video]

When it comes to alarm clocks, there's definitely no shortage. But one commonality amongst almost all alarms is that they are annoying. The Acoustic Alarm, however, takes a new approach to the wake-up call. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/t1le7kj9lbo/this-alarm-wont-scare-you-out-of-bed-in-the-morning

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

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Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads

A few moments ago, version 2 of the Banshee music player for Linux was released, bringing with it a whole slew of new features, and the addition of an official -- but alpha-quality -- Windows build. The Mac OS X build of version 2 is due later today.

The most notable new feature is support for the Amazon MP3 store -- you can buy and download music from within Banshee -- but unfortunately it's only available in the Linux build at the moment (OS X and Windows support are planned, however). There have also been some significant improvements to artist, album, and queue interactions -- and yes, you can finally right click a track, album or artist and select 'play after' to insert it into the queue.

Beyond actual playback, the user interface has been tidied up -- it now looks a whole lot smarter -- and the Ubuntu One Music Store and SoundMenu extensions have been made official. For a complete list of changes, additions and bug fixes, check the change log.

When Windows support initially appeared in February, we found it rough around the edges and fraught with stability issues. With version 2, Banshee for Windows is still a bit unstable, but it's shaping up to be a good alternative to Winamp, iTunes, or whatever other music library manager you use. It's almost as attractive as its GNOMEish brother, too!

Download Banshee 2 for Linux and Windows (Mac OS X coming soon)

Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/banshee-music-player-now-works-in-windows-supports-amazon-mp3-d/

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9 Handy Places to Hide During an Air Raid [Architecture]

When explosives begin raining from the sky, it's generally recommended that one find a sturdy, preferably covered, area to wait. Our friends at Oobject.com have some great examples. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/L_ieypPF3mM/oobject-bunker-post

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Daily Crunch: Back To Life Edition

Cisco To Shut Down Flip Video Camera Business; Will Give Pink Slips To 550 Employees Activision: Guitar Hero Not Dead, Merely Placed On Hiatus AutoTech Video: A Week In A Prototype Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Mobee Magic Bar Will Charge Your Wireless Apple Stuff Without Wires Senator To Propose New Internet Sales Tax (No Relation)

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/04/13/daily-crunch-back-to-life/

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Daily Crunch: Them Edition

Video: German Spiderbot Hector Is 1m Long Kickstarter: The Flow Is A Capacitive Paintbrush, Kind Of Adidas Now Has The Lightest Shoe In All Of Basketball. You Might Even Call It Crazy Light. Review: Nike+ SportWatch GPS Lasers Suck, Says The War Nerd

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/04/15/daily-crunch-them-edition/

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BlackBerry Bold Touch makes brief appearance on RIM's website

As you may have have been able to discern from the multitude of leaks that have surfaced over the past few months, RIM is apparently getting set to debut a new touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry Bold at BlackBerry World next week. While still not completely official, that's now been all but confirmed by RIM itself, which briefly featured the teaser pictured above on its website before pulling it for reasons unknown. As you can see, RIM apparently couldn't help itself and promised that it will be a "bold step ahead," and it appears that the phone is unsurprisingly running BlackBerry 7, which until recently was better known as OS 6.1. Of course, that's hardly the only news we're expecting to hear at BlackBerry World, and you can be sure we'll be there to brave the puns and bring it all to you.

[Thanks, Matt]

BlackBerry Bold Touch makes brief appearance on RIM's website originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/29/blackberry-bold-touch-makes-brief-appearance-on-rims-website/

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Skype 5.3 for Windows released, improves mobile video call quality

Version 5.3 of Skype for Windows has just been released, with the main emphasis of the new release being improved call quality, and the quality of video received by mobile Skype users. Presumably one party of the video call must be using Skype for Windows 5.3, though.

Beyond improved call quality, not much has changed. You can now see your friends' presence icons when contact cards are collapsed, and the topic editing button is now always visible on the conversation header. For a complete list of changes, hit up the Skype Garage blog.

Download Skype 5.3 for Windows

Skype 5.3 for Windows released, improves mobile video call quality originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/skype-5-3-for-windows-released-improves-mobile-video-call-quali/

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PopSci's Retro DIY Archives Are Bizarre and Amazing [Blip]

PopSci's a forward thinking place, but their vintage stuff is worth a check too—harkening back to a simpler time when a magazine could teach you how to build a crossbow without fear of litigation. Also: homebrew tractors. [PopSci] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/95m2SweeFDA/popscis-retro-diy-archives-are-bizarre-and-amazing

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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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iZettle's chip-reading Square competitor will take your money, no swipes required (video)

Everyone seems to be getting on board with Square's iPhone credit card reader -- Apple started selling the device in its stores last week, and even Visa has taken a financial interest in the company. However, due to the popularity of fraud-fighting chip-enabled smart cards on the other side of the pond, Square's offering doesn't quite fit the bill. iZettle has a similar solution for Europe that includes the ever-so-necessary smart card reader, which the company is launching in Sweden this June. Not only does it enable you to accept credit card payments from friends or customers, the app adds a social twist. Merchants can email a photograph and receipt to buyers, who can then share their latest spoils on Facebook. Of course, if this starts to catch on, it could make explaining that "awesome deal" you scored on a new laptop that much more difficult when it pops up on your significant other's news feed.

[Thanks, David]

Continue reading iZettle's chip-reading Square competitor will take your money, no swipes required (video)

iZettle's chip-reading Square competitor will take your money, no swipes required (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/28/izettles-chip-reading-square-competitor-will-take-your-money-n/

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iSpy With My Little iPhone - but Not Much to See There

One of the biggest news stories around the iPhone in a long time is the recent -- for lack of a better term -- LocationGate fiasco. As with most stories like this, fear and link bait rule the day. You also have, in this case, U.S. Senators smelling blood in the water and inserting themselves into the story -- and in some cases actually contributing to the misinformation out there.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/72352.html

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2,000 Cardboard Boxes Make It Rain [Video]

Fake rainfall is therapeutic. The pit pat pitty patty pat pat pit sound reminds me of childhood days peering out the window in wonderment. So peaceful! An art installation by Zimoun in collaboration with Architect Hannes Zweifel re-creates the sound of falling rain with 2,000 cardboard boxes and 200 DC motors. The motors, attached to the boxes, gently whip the cardboard to make the soundtrack. I'm going to fall asleep listening to this tonight. [Vimeo] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Vj5wRMZRssw/2000-cardboard-boxes-make-it-rain

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This Ball-Catching Robot Will Someday Play Baseball Better Than You [Video]

Germany's aerospace agency, the DLR, has this robot they like to call Rollin' Justin. Recently they've improved his object tracking and tacticle sensors so much that it's able to catch objects on the fly. It'll even catch two balls at once! More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vQbW95xxFRk/this-ball+catching-robot-will-someday-play-baseball-better-than-you

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