CrunchGear |  |
- Microsoft Puts The Zune Down The Memory Hole
- Daily Crunch: Get Your Goat
- HP’s Autonomy Buyout Finalized And Official
- Upcoming Nikon D800 Said To Be 36-Megapixel, $4000 Monster
- With Shooting Caught On Officer’s “Chest-Cam,” Tech Precedent To Be Set
- Adobe Pushes Into Tablet Space With 6 New Apps And “Creative Cloud”
- ‘Invisible Key’ Lets You Unlocks Doors With Hand Gestures
- ALMA Telescope Aims To Understand The Building Blocks Of The Universe
- The Horror: Kindle Touch 3G Disables Web Browsing Over 3G
- Goats Go To War: Kickstarter Project Aims To Keep A Programmer Housed And Fed
- The iPhone 5/4S: The Complete Rumor Rundown
- The Fitbit Ultra: More Fitbit Goodness, Same Fitbit Package
- MGX: NEC Shows 9.9MM Thin, Android-Based Notebook Prototype
| Microsoft Puts The Zune Down The Memory Hole Posted: 04 Oct 2011 04:37 AM PDT  We already knew the Zune was pretty much dead and gone — the mp3 player, that is, not the service — but until very recently you could still take a stroll down memory lane by going to Microsoft’s Zune page and looking at all the Zune HDs frolicking in the background. No longer. The Zune itself has been expunged from the Zune page and new players will no longer be produced. It’s actually long overdue. The primary Zune ecosystem moved over to Windows Phone 7 a long time ago, and it seemed strange to have discontinued hardware on a page that should be touting how much better the new phones are than the old dedicated player. Even if that’s not strictly true. As I am contractually obligated by Microsoft to mention every time I write about Zune (disclosure: I am not contractually obligated by anyone to do anything at all), I love my Zune HD and still use it every day. But I’m aware that it’s a relic, and I would have liked to have the media capabilities of the WP7 phones thrust in my face as powerfully as the Zune HD’s were back in the day. Although they might consider a less opaque advertising strategy this time around. Will Microsoft ever try to Zune it up again? I would actually say yes, but not any time soon. Windows 8 will likely leverage Zune features for its media playback, and after the tablet OS is refined a little, a compact version of it could possibly emerge. But as it sits now, per a Zune Support page, the players are gone. [via winrumors]
As usual, the fate of this interesting and ahead of its time (true regardless of the failure of the Zune hardware) Microsoft property is hazy. But perhaps by putting the past behind it, Microsoft is getting ready to take the next step.
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| Posted: 04 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT  Here are some of yesterday’s posts on TechCrunch Gadgets: Goats Go To War: Kickstarter Project Aims To Keep A Programmer Housed And Fed With Shooting Caught On Officer's "Chest-Cam," Tech Precedent To Be Set The Fitbit Ultra: More Fitbit Goodness, Same Fitbit Package 'Invisible Key' Lets You Unlocks Doors With Hand Gestures
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| HP’s Autonomy Buyout Finalized And Official Posted: 03 Oct 2011 05:11 PM PDT  HP just announced that it has completed its takeover of British enterprise data handler Autonomy under the terms specified last month. To wit: £25.50 each for 213,421,299 shares, totaling just over 87% of the company. That’s around $8.5 billion spent of the ~$10 billion offer that would have constituted a total buyout (Reuters says $12 billion). The purchase price is seen by many as rather an overpayment, but the purchase was one of the keystones in Leo Apotheker’s plan to restructure the company. Apotheker, of course, left the company not long ago just a few weeks ago to make way for the new CEO, Meg Whitman, taking with him some $10 million in stock and bonuses. Autonomy will operate as a “separate business unit,” though HP will be using their new asset to “accelerate our strategic vision” and “reinvent how both unstructured and structured data is processed, analyzed, optimized, automated and protected” according to Apotheker, and “manage and extract meaning from that data to drive insight, foresight and better decision making” according to Whitman. The news came at the end of the day and HP’s shares dipped in late trading, closing at $22.20, down $0.25 or 1.11%.
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| Upcoming Nikon D800 Said To Be 36-Megapixel, $4000 Monster Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:09 PM PDT  Some specs for Nikon’s next semi-pro camera have surfaced on Japanese camera site Digital Camera Info, and Nikon Rumors seems to think they’re creditable. It’s an interesting move by Nikon but not one that will be appreciated by the bulk of DSLR buyers. The new D800, they say, will pack 36 megapixels on a full frame FX sensor, and essentially forgo advances in low-light performance in order to produce a medium-cost studio camera instead of a lower-cost prosumer one. The rumored $4000 price puts it out of most enthusiasts’ reach, and the high megapixel count makes it less practical for sports and field photography. Video will be 1080p/30, though they may add additional framerates. The LCD will be larger and brighter (likely with an improvement in resolution as well), and there will be two CF cards slots and one SD. The four frame per second burst speed won’t wow anyone, but I’m guessing that is a deliberate decision given the reassigned priorities. The release date is rumored to be November 24th, with an announcement on October 26th. We’ll see how the rumors pan out, but it’s certainly about time for the Dx00 range to get an update. The problem is that this D800 doesn’t seem to replace the D700 so much as add a new entire type to the lineup, below the D3s in size and low light performance and above the D3x in megapixels. What of the D700? Will there be a new model at the $2500-$3000 price, perhaps a D700s with a focus on low light? Very little information on that front, unfortunately. It’s all speculation, of course, until the information is truly out there. And until the cameras are actually reviewed, the capabilities are merely theoretical. Patience is the word today for Nikon fans.
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| With Shooting Caught On Officer’s “Chest-Cam,” Tech Precedent To Be Set Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:11 PM PDT  The rising number of cameras recording activity on the street and on the job makes for an interesting new set of problems. I examined a few in my Surveillant Society post, and one has just emerged that could set a serious precedent for the application of tech in criminal cases. On September 25, an Oakland police officer pulled over a car and the suspect got out and fled. The officer chased him, and during a struggle the suspect was shot and killed. The charges, suspect’s and officer’s names, are undisclosed but it was stated that the suspect was armed with a gun. It would be another sadly typical escalation with a lethal end, except that the officer in question had at some point flipped on his “chest-cam,” a relatively recent development in policing where a Flip-type pocket cam (in this case a Vievu model) is attached to the uniform and turned on under certain circumstances. The presence of this camera is leading to a few potentially major legal questions given the stakes of the case. While some are more legal than tech-related, it’s worth taking a minute to see how technological advances are shaping criminal law. First, when are officers required to activate the camera? There are rules in the department that govern when you should, should not, or must turn on your camera, but failure to do so (innocent or deliberate) can easily be explained, and events not categorized as “stops and arrests” could need recording. In Surveillant Society, I note that the inevitable end of cameras in situations like this is to be recording all the time, recycling their footage as they go, and indeed dash and security cameras (not as limited by size) already do this. In that situation, the footage would be recorded regardless of the officer’s actions, and collected later. Unfortunately battery and storage constraints prohibit this simple solution for now. In the meantime, the regulations regarding recording should be public information (I’m sure they are already) and anyone in any encounter with an officer should be able to request that the camera be turned on. Second, how is the footage handled? That is to say, who has access to the footage and how is it kept safe from tampering? The answer is probably to say that it must be treated as any other material evidence would be: bagged, logged, and kept centrally and securely; there are already plenty of regulations to this effect, though they aren’t always respected. And unlike physical evidence, the footage on the camera has the potential to be duplicated, which means it could be given to someone without affecting the original. SFGate asks whether the video should be provided to the press, but I don’t see any reason why it should be (or rather, why it should be treated differently than a weapon or suspect ID) during an ongoing investigation. Can the officer in question view the footage before giving a statement? The prevailing opinion seems to be that no, this would be unacceptable, and I agree. The statement of a witness or participant in a crime must be from memory. It is up to the judge and jury to determine the level of truthfulness; if a suspect (or officer) is aware that their actions are on video, it’s very possible their statement will change to reflect that. Furthermore, if they actually see the video, it will change further. The documentation of a police encounter is as much for the department as it is for the accused. Certainly the video would be brought in as evidence and those involved would be given a chance to explain their actions during cross examination or when otherwise prompted. The officer’s attorney notes that some departments have actually answered the above question in the affirmative, with unions pushing for the ability to review footage before making a statement. But, she says, “it’s hard to have a hard-and-fast rule in terms of these videos. Every situation and every officer is very different.” Unfortunately, a hard-and-fast rule is necessary, and the nuances of enforcement and compliance must be worked out in court. At what level should this kind of tech decision be legislated? The inevitable civil rights violation might go all the way up to the Supreme Court a la Miranda, but differing resources, constituencies, and policing strategies may make such high-level restrictions impractical. I would say that some Supreme Court decisions regarding the application of civil rights to new tech will be necessary, but that regulations will have to be enacted at the state level, and then more specifically at the department level, where they will need to be made as simple and transparent as possible and probably added to the standard statements made by cops during bookings and arrests. “Video of this encounter can and will be used against you, and me, in a court of law.” We all see how tech affects us in everyday life, but the institution of law is a much slower-moving creature, and even when something major occurs (like the purchase of hundreds of cameras for installation on the persons of officers), the consequences likely won’t be fully felt for years, and even then they will likely be felt as part of a tragedy or injustice. As a theoretical source of accountability, these cameras are invaluable, but as usual we are more likely to learn that through the publication of criminal acts rather than the confirmation of virtuous ones. [via Reddit]
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| Adobe Pushes Into Tablet Space With 6 New Apps And “Creative Cloud” Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT  Adobe’s had a busy day. Along with the acquisition of Nitobi Software and TypeKit, the company has also made a clear push into the tablet space, looking to bolster content creation. At the Adobe MAX 2011 conference in Los Angeles, Adobe officially announced the Creative Cloud — its very own cloud storage offering — along with with six new Adobe Touch apps for Android tablets and the iPad. Creative Cloud lets users sync, share and view files from both the Adobe Creative Suite (desktop) and the Adobe Touch apps. It offers 20GB of free storage, though pricing and availability won’t be announced until November. However, the Creative Cloud (once it’s in action) will certainly boost the value of the six new Touch apps, most notable of which is Adobe Photoshop Touch. Here’s a quick run-down of each of the new apps:
Just like the Creative Cloud, these new apps won’t roll out until November. Worse, iOS availability seems to be a bit behind, with Adobe expecting to announce iPad availability in early 2012. Each app will cost $9.99 from both the Android Market and the Apple App Store. Adobe Systems Incorporated is a diversified software company. The Company offers a line of business and mobile software and services used by professionals, designers, knowledge workers, high-end consumers, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners, developers and enterprises for creating, managing, delivering and engaging with compelling content and experiences across multiple operating systems, devices and media. Adobe distributes its products through a network of distributors and dealers, value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, independent software vendors (ISVs) and OEMs, direct to end...
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| ‘Invisible Key’ Lets You Unlocks Doors With Hand Gestures Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:37 AM PDT  Forget about fumbling with your keys late at night — a faculty member from the Technology and Science Institute of Northern Taiwan has developed a way to unlock your door with a simple hand gesture. Developed by Tsai Yao-Pin and his team of researchers, the “invisible key” is actually a bit of a misnomer, as it’s what’s built into the lock that does all the heavy lifting. The heart of the invisible key is a special chip-and-accerometer combo that Yao-Pin and his team of researchers have developed. The chip is able to track users’ hand movements in three dimensions, and those gestures can be stored for future use. Once those unlock gestures have been set, it’s a simple matter of flashing that same move in front of the lock at the end of the day and voilà — you’re back within the comforts of your own home. The invisible key concept netted Yao-Pin and his school a Gold Award at this past weekend’s Taipei International Invention Show. There it enjoys the company of other high caliber inventions like “a kind of foldable flat mop head with cleaning pad” and “nanostructured composite anode with nano gas channels and atmosphere plasma spray manufacturing method thereof.” Seriously. Speaking as a thoughtless clod who’s lost more keys than I care to admit, I’d be the first in line to buy one of these things. Thankfully for people like me, Tsai Yao-Pin has mentioned that the project has caught the attention of a few interested companies, so we may not need to wait too long for an easier way inside.
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| ALMA Telescope Aims To Understand The Building Blocks Of The Universe Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:25 AM PDT  The biggest, bestest, and most complicated telescope in all the land just took its first few shots of the cosmos, getting a detailed look at galaxies and gasses that have never been clearly seen before. The ALMA telescope in Chile, otherwise known as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is a joint-venture project backed by Canada, Chile, the EU, Japan, Taiwan and the good ol’ US of A. The ALMA telescope is not quite like the visible-light and infrared telescopes predominantly used today. It uses a whole group of radio telescopes that are linked together, giving it the ability to see much longer wavelengths and thus, deliver unique photos of the universe. The purpose, quoth ALMA, is to “understand how galaxy collisions can trigger the birth of new stars.” This may give us a better understanding of what the universe looked like in its infancy. According to the AFP, the ALMA telescope is between 10 and 100 times more powerful than other similar instrumentation used elsewhere. That’s a wide range, so presumably the ALMA telescope is 10 times more powerful than the next-best telescope in its class, and 100 times more powerful than the worst. The very first images taken with ALMA were of the Antennae Galaxies, which reside about 70 million light years away in the Corvus constellation. One of the scheduled projects that will incorporate the ALMA telescope includes work by David Wilner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who plans to hunt for the building blocks of solar systems. “We will use ALMA to image the ‘birth ring’ of planetesimals that we believe orbits this young star,” said Wilner of a star 33 light years away called AU Microscopii, which is just one percent the age of the sun. “We hope to discover clumps in these dusty asteroid belts, which can be the markers of unseen planets.” The location of the ALMA telescope is especially advantageous. In the Atacama desert in Chile, ALMA sits 16,400 ft. above sea-level, in an incredibly dry environment. These are ideal conditions for astronomy, although human survival could prove a bit tough. The European Extremely Large Telescope (love that name), which is set to begin operating in 2018, will also be in the Atacama desert.
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| The Horror: Kindle Touch 3G Disables Web Browsing Over 3G Posted: 03 Oct 2011 08:23 AM PDT  Those tricksy Amazonians! The Kindle Touch 3G will have an experimental browser built-in but it will only run on Wi-Fi, not 3G. Browsing over 3G has been supported since the first Kindle and, to be fair, the experience was approximately abysmal. However, people love their free stuff and clearly this could be a deal-breaker. In a customer forum, an Amazon spokesperson wrote:
You’ll also note that they’re calling the old Kindle the “Kindle Keyboard.” Here’s hoping they don’t make a Kindle Keyboard for Kids. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them all in numerous warehouses and distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The majority of Amazon's...
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| Goats Go To War: Kickstarter Project Aims To Keep A Programmer Housed And Fed Posted: 03 Oct 2011 07:27 AM PDT  It’s hard out there for a goat. You’re relegated to the background in many RPG games, chewing morosely while adventurers and soldiers light out for the darkened corners of the World, fighting dragons, the hellborn, and coprophagic demons. But now the goats are taking on the world’s vilest enemy – the Nazis – and they mean business. GOATS vs NAZIS is an indie NES game by Jim Welch that should take about a year to finish. Welch is asking for $14,000 to help feed and clothe him while he works on the game (where the heck does he live?) and he’s offering the game for free once he’s done. The game is a top-down shooter with seven levels and a password progress system. You can eat enemy weapons to shoot them back at them and it includes some delightful chiptune songs including the boss theme. The minimum pledge is $10 and that gets you the game ten days early along with a link to the soundtrack. I think this is interesting for a few reasons. First, it’s a goofy take on such jingoistic titles like Bionic Commando (Spoiler Alert) and Rush’n Attack and, more important, it’s actually built for the NES, forcing folks to rethink that platform’s current viability. Second, it’s a great way for Jim Welch to support his gaming habit and, since he’s giving the game away, it’s the only way he’ll see a penny from this while he builds it. Indie game devs need all the help they can get and this is a great way to get it. Third, goats fighting Nazis is pretty bad-ass. The project has hit about $200 now but I suspect it will get funded once people discover its magical storyline. It’s also a great example of how Kickstarter can keep independent art of all stripes alive.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The iPhone 5/4S: The Complete Rumor Rundown Posted: 03 Oct 2011 06:49 AM PDT  Apple is less than 24 hours away from announcing the next iPhone. Unlike previous announcements, this show will be intimate and small, held at Apple’s HQ rather than a large venue like the Moscone Center. Most important, Steve Jobs isn’t headlining the show; although, if rumors are to be believed, he might make a cameo. Apple’s latest commander and chief, Tim Cook, is expected to lead the charge at what will likely amount to one of the biggest Internet traffic days of the year. Apple is rather tardy releasing this latest iPhone, missing its traditional summer launch date by a good two months. However, if the rumor mills are to be believed, there, the new iPhone will be very similar to the old iPhone – except where it isn’t. We compiled all of the rumors here along with stating the viability for each. Some are wide-eyed, others are realistic, while some are pure fanboy fantasy. The iPhone 4S Will Be A Less Expensive iPhone Argument
Objections:
Judgment: The stars just seem aligned for this one. The iPhone 4 is still a hot phone despite being over 15 months old. Apple just needs to repackage the current hardware into a less expensive body to completely demolish the competition. Redesigned, thinner iPhone 5 Argument:
Objection:
Judgment: Apple has never released a product thicker than the previous model and won’t start with the next iPhone. Larger screen Argument:
Objections:
Judgment: Apple cannot ignore the current popular trend of larger screen sizes. As long as the phone is thinner, a larger screen will not make the phone feel any bigger. Edge-to-edge glass Argument:
Objections:
Judgment: Not likely just yet. Apple pushes the limit but only as far as its financially viable. NFC Chip Argument:
Objection:
Judgment: Apple tends to incorporate non-proprietary tech only after its viability is proven. So that’s a “No.” Dual-core A5 CPU Argument:
Objection:
Judgment: It’s very likely the next major iPhone will have the A5 CPU. However, Apple might stick with the A4 for a mid-model refresh like the rumored iPhone 4S New home button Argument:
Objections:
Judgment: Don’t start designing your next Kickstarter iPhone case project around this rumor. Apple will likely stick with its traditional home button. 8MP camera Argument:
Objections:
Judgment: Camera sensors are constantly shrinking in size while increasing in MP count. Expect a higher count sensor but not necessarily an 8MP version. CDMA/GSM dual-mode radio Argument:
Objection:
Judgment: It’s hard to say. The upsides are huge for both Apple and consumers, but dual-mode radios are not widely used. Apple tends to use highly-available and therefore, high margin components. Extensive voice controls Argument:
Objections
Judgment: It’s hard to predict future iOS features, but more beefy voice controls are probably on the road map. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. in January 2007. Among the key offerings from Apple’s product line are: Pro line laptops (MacBook Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (MacBook) and desktops (iMac), servers (Xserve), Apple TV, the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server operating systems, the iPod (offered with... Apple’s iPhone was introduced at MacWorld in January 2007 and officially went on sale June 29, 2007, selling 146,000 units within the first weekend of launch. The phone has been hailed as revolutionary with its bundle of advanced mobile web browsing, music and video playback, and touch screen controls. The iPhone is exclusively carried on the networks of both AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. An iPhone can function as a video camera (video recording was not a standard feature...
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| The Fitbit Ultra: More Fitbit Goodness, Same Fitbit Package Posted: 03 Oct 2011 05:56 AM PDT  I had the opportunity to use a Fitbit Ultra, the successor to a glorified pedometer that has become oddly popular and addictive to a certain subset of non-torpid technophiles. To be clear, the desire to measure your days in terms of steps taken is an old one (there is heard tell of an old Chinese tradition of walking 10,000 steps a day to reach health and prosperity), but the Fitbit does this in a decidedly 21st century fashion. The device connects wirelessly to a small base-station/charger and records the steps taken as well as, when the device is strapped to your wrist, a fairly spotty rendition of your sleep patterns. A small OLED readout tells you current stats including calories burned, distance travelled, and steps taken. It snaps to your clothing like a clothespin and lasts about a week on a single charge. When you approach the base station the device sends its stats to the Internet where they are compiled and presented as handsome charts and graphs of current activity. I gave the Fitbit a try early on in its creation and found it slightly lacking, especially in that it broke in half after a bit of use. I found the thought of measuring my every step as slightly disconcerting, a sort Prufrockian measure of one’s day, existence reduced to blue numbers on a little piece of plastic. However, as I began testing the $99 Fitbit Ultra, a slightly upgraded version that adds a stopwatch and altimeter for measuring stair climbs, I began to warm to the device’s charms.
Call me a sucker for simplicity, but the thought I could improve my fitness by strapping a little thinger to my pants and walking around is fairly compelling. Wearing it for a while I noticed that I was decidedly sedentary and even my bursts of exercise that I attempt of an evening barely pushed me past the 5,000 mark. I also saw that some folks I knew were literally walking circles around me, hitting the high 20Ks while I was piddling around in 3K by the time I went to bed. I turned off Fitbit’s automatic Twitter notifications because they were quite embarrassing. The new Fitbit is slightly more accurate than the old version and seemed to measure other exercises better including more aerobic activities like floor workouts and running. You can feasibly trick the thing into counting biking as an exercise (a process that delightfully pads the stats) but that’s not why this product exists. In short, it’s there to tell you you need to get off your butt and walk. You can then track your progress using the online dashboard (here is mine so you can follow my exploits). If you’re really into it, you can add food consumed as well as blood glucose levels. The dashboard also tracks your sleep by telling how much you toss and turn at night. I have a few beefs with Fitbit, though. First, I’ve not been able to trust the device after it cracked oh so long ago. To be fair, the first versions were made of chromed plastic and could have suffered some structural problems but I’ve been overly careful with this new model. Second, if you’re not careful, you will lose the little thing. The Fitbit slipped off my pants just as I was totally getting into a long run and it now remains, unloved, pining away for my hips in the dark and cold of the Brooklyn streets. To avoid this, they recommend women attach them to their sports bras, an option that while potentially possible given my pectoral girth was not applicable in my current attire. The best place to put it – on a pocket – is also the most potentially lossy. Also the Fitbit is quite small so once it’s gone it’s gone. If you’re willing to accept that your Fitbit may disappear on you and that you’re essentially measuring out the steps until your imminent demise, this may by the statistical-gathering tool for you. If you’re a hardcore runner, biker, luger, or anything else, this is probably not the best device. A sports watch with GPS and heart-rate monitor would be far superior. However, if you’re just now realizing you spent most of the 2000s playing WoW and reading ebooks, you may want to pick one of these up if only because you can treat your daily walks like dungeon runs and your daily records like wizardly achievements.
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| MGX: NEC Shows 9.9MM Thin, Android-Based Notebook Prototype Posted: 03 Oct 2011 05:47 AM PDT  NEC is working on an super-thin notebook that’s powered by Android (version unknown) and that’s just 9.9mm thick. The so-called MGX (an internal code-name, “MG” stands for “mobile gear”) is currently just a prototype, but it looks pretty slick. In its current form, the device is 215mm long, 109mm wide, and weighs 350g. It features a 7-inch OLED touch display with 1,024×600 resolution, HSUPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, and 10 hours of battery life. The MGX could be commercialized around 2013, according to the company. Via PC Watch [JP]
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