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Drippler Sends You Updates About The Gadgets You Hold Dear (But Hijacks Content)

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 04:00 AM PDT

I was approached by a startup that is today launching Drippler, a service that lets people get custom updates (think news, tips, support and more) about the gadgets they own and love, or want to own and love.

I liked the idea at first, even if it sounded a whole lot like the original premise of gdgt (our launch coverage) before they – wait for it – pivoted.

Drippler is basically a free website / mobile application that provides consumers with personalized updates about consumer electronics, ranging from smartphones to ereaders and gaming consoles.

Their aim is to become a centralized hub for gadget lovers and cravers to find news, rumors, tips and tricks, tech support, apps, accessories and whatnot.

The company has raised $250,000 in seed funding from investors like Reuven Agassi (founder of Top-Tier, acquired by SAP), Yanki Margalit (founder of Aladdin Knowledge Systems) and David Assia (founder of Magic Software Enterprises).

Here’s the thing though. Drippler takes content from sources like tech blogs and gadget review sites and attempts to hijack the conversation on their own website. They link to the source, but don’t consistently mention the name of the source, nor its logo, nor the name of the author.

In my mind, this isn’t any better than all those auto-rebloggers us tech bloggers need to deal with.

Drippler co-founder and CEO Matan Talmi sees things differently. He posits:

We think of it as another layer between the users and the content, which collects the relevant content, thus providing more traffic and exposure to the sources and value for the users. We always link to the source and actually get many requests from sites to add them as a source, and we only use syndicated content, so the sources always have control on how much of the content is used. Kind of like Google News, only specializing in gadgets.

Except sites like Google News and Techmeme are aggregators and go out of their way to attribute content to the author or publication. Drippler instead attempts to hijack the conversation by letting users comment on, favorite and share articles as if the content were theirs.

In short, I like the idea behind the service, but don’t agree with the way they’re going about it.

Thoughts?

HP TouchPad Gets $50 Discount, OTA Update

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 03:40 AM PDT

HP has just released a new over-the-air update to the TouchPad, WebOS 3.0.2, that improves the OS slightly including improved auto-correction, the inclusion of wallpaper support, and improved photo handling.

The update will appear automatically for TouchPad owners and most devices should receive the update in the next few hours.

In related news, the device is now $50 less until September 10, reducing the price to $449 for 16GB and $549 for 32GB.

You can grab the promo price here and you can read more about the release here but here we find the major updates.

Core applications

Calendar
Quicker Just Type event search and event creation
Improved handling of meeting cancellations
Email
Faster scrolling
Improved message content and image display
Improved management of multiple emails in Draft and Outbox views
Music
Reduced audio skipping when the device is running other applications
Better display of album art
Photos & Videos
Added ability to set wallpapers
Faster and more reliable handling of individual photos and albums
Text Assist
Improved speed and accuracy of auto-corrections
Web
Increased scrolling support compatibility within web pages
Improved performance of remote HTML5 video playback
Improved responsiveness of auto correction within the browser
webOS System

Fixed issues with oversensitive screen rotation
Security

This release addresses a number of security issues with HP webOS software.

Honeycomb Hits The Logitech Revue, But You Have To Really Want It

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:27 AM PDT

GTVHackers has released an Android 3.1 beta built specifically for the Logitech Revue Google TV device. The hitch? It’s not quite ready for public consumption, it could destroy your user experience, and you could end up with a GTV that can’t be restored to its original OS or that is completely bricked.

You can download the update here and instructions are here.

This is BETA, it is not meant to be widely used and has bugs. If that’s something you don’t care about and would like to risk it anyway, install the update. Also, If you want to help Logitech and Google out buy another Revue ( preferably from logitech.com ), at $99 its worth every penny.

What does this add? Not much, yet, but the media player seems to be able to play more formats and Netflix doesn’t work. You can also install apps from the Android Market. Maybe you should just pick up the $99 device and wait for the update and, rest assured, it works and we like it.

Daily Crunch: Music Bike

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT

NuForce’s Gold-Plated, Crystal-Studded USB Audio Device: A Device Sold To An Idiot, Signifying Nothing

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 12:52 AM PDT

The NuForce's uDAC-2 Signature Gold Edition 24bit/96kHz USB digital audio converter is basically worth $5 (even with the gold plating and glass crystals) but the company, whose experience in audio is precedented only by every other manufacturer in the world, is selling it for $400 – a noble price aimed at pulling the last ounce of disposable income from the pockets of fools.

What does it do? Well, as BB’s Rob Bescizza notes, ideally it will access the “quantum-genetic memory of the universe to restore the missing data in your collection of shitty 192kbps MP3s.” Sounds about right.

You can buy it here, I guess, but consider this more a warning than information sharing.

Folding, Electric Vienna Bike Is Dorky But Practical

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 07:03 PM PDT

The US has yet to join the rest of the world in the large-scale deployment of powered bikes, and I doubt this particular item will change that, but it’s always worth noting when a nice, practical vehicle like this shows up. This one is called the Vienna Bike, and it’s designed by Valentin Vodev of Pixstudio, a design studio (naturally) based (naturally) in Vienna.

Its narrow (only 35cm wide) trike frame means extra stability for the load in the back while still providing bike-like handling. The platform in the back extends and there’s an interesting hexagonal pod that fits onto it for stowing groceries, helmets, or— trees, apparently.

There’s an electric motor that can propel it independently, or you can set it to pedal-assist. Pixstudio claims the bike will go up to 60km on a charge, though I presume that’s with no cargo and a Vienna-sized passenger willing to pedal a bit. And another source says 40-60 miles, which is obviously more — so maybe they’re not quite sure about that yet.

In addition to a range which, whether 30 or 60 miles, is suited for a day’s errand-running, it folds up for storage, as you can see at right. Like I said, practical, right? If it’s not too heavy, it could easily be taken up a flight or two of steps to an apartment. Say, my apartment.

The Vienna Bike seems to be an evolution of the studio’s “Biquattro” prototype, which has been upgraded, smoothed, and painted to produce the new version. It’s not available for purchase yet, being just today shown in “working prototype” form to the public at Bridgestone’s Eco-Rally event.

[via MocoLoco]

iOS App Scans Printed Music Notes, Plays Them In Real-Time (Video)

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 02:51 PM PDT

I am extremely unmusical (on the verge of being tone-deaf) so I can’t decide whether this new iPhone app is good or bad: Japan-based musical instrument maker Kawai has developed a camera app that scans music notes printed on paper and plays them back in real-time. Dubbed Gakufu Camera [JP], the app is said to be the first of its kind.

Kawai claims the app also works with handwritten notes, those printed in different colors and under weak lighting. Gakufu Camera also offers a few other bells and whistles, for example a function that allows you to store the notes you scanned first and play the melody afterwards.

Gakufu Camera is only available in the Japanese App Store at the moment for iOS 4.0 and up (price: 350 yen/$4.50). But as Kawai is a global company and the app is already available in Japanese and English, expect it to hit other markets rather sooner than later (we’ll keep you posted).

This video shows the app in action (explanations in Japanese, but music fans will get it, I am thinking):

Via Asiajin via IT Media [JP]

“Blind Camera” Doesn’t Take Pictures, Retrieves Others’ Shots Instead

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 12:42 PM PDT

This is an interesting little concept/design piece that’s more about the act of taking pictures than, you know, actually taking pictures. The Buttons camera isn’t fitted with a lens or any way to take a shot at all — but it’s shaped like a camera and has a “shutter” button and LCD screen. You hit the button and after a while a picture will show up, but there’s a little more to it than that.

When you hit the button, it begins searching the net for a picture, any picture, taken at that exact moment. The picture might show up after a minute or two, or maybe not for hours. Not very useful as far as an entertainment device, but it’s kind of fun to think about: somebody, somewhere, pressed that button at the same time you did. And the only reason you know that, and saw the picture, is because you pressed your button then.

The device isn’t going to be sold or anything, obviously, it’s more of a bit of conceptual art than anything, but the overlap with the gadget world seems to make it relevant. More info here and some videos that nearly crashed my browser.

[via OhGizmo]

Fake iPhone 5 Supposedly Leaks The Real iPhone 5′s Design

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:59 AM PDT

I’ll say it now, before anyone gets their hopes up: this is most definitely not an iPhone 5. Those blurry, Big-Foot-esque shots from last week still may very well be the real deal, but this is not. This is yet another fake iPhone out of Shenzhen, China — but here’s the twist: its design is supposedly stolen straight from that of the actual iPhone 5.

Skeptical? That’s completely reasonable. Fake iPhones are a dime-a-billion in Shenzhen — but one ripping off a top-secret handset that hasn’t even properly photographed, much less announced? That’d be a new trick.

Weighing in on this one too much seems a bit silly; disputing the accuracy of a Chinese fake supposedly based on something few have ever seen would just about reach the limits of futility. Instead, I’ll just leave a few observations as food for thought, and let you take it as you will. Drop a comment with your thoughts.

  • The volume rocker is one long piece (a la the iPhone 3GS), as opposed to two buttons (as found on the iPhone 4.) This matches up with the aforementioned Big-Foot shots, as that device clearly has a one-piece rocker.
  • Coming in at just 7mm thick, this would fit quite well in any of the supposed iPhone 5 cases that have leaked over the past few weeks. For years now, these leaked cases have been the first hint of what’s to come.
  • Word of the rounded edge of the back has long been floating around the rumor mill. That equally rounded front seems a bit strange, though; it forces the display to have a rather thick bezel (whereas all past rumors indicated the bezel was hair-thin), and makes the screen seem a good bit smaller. If this design is anything near legitimate, the rounding of the front seems like one place where the cloners may have practiced some.. artistic freedom, so to speak.

Okay, I lied: I’ve gotta weigh in on this a bit more. My bet? It’ll share some similarities with the real deal (the back being rounded, for example, seems quite likely at this point), but the differences will be vast enough that the fake will seem strikingly … well, fake. It seems like whoever built this took the supposed leaked case specifications that have been floating around and worked backwards, then cut some corners to be able to use the materials they had at hand to get the job done.

Real or not, high-fives to GizChina for diggin’ up this rather crazy clone.

iPhone 5 4 iPhone 5 1 iPhone 5 2


Diablo 3 DRM Requires Constant Internet Connection – Until You Crack It, Of Course

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:52 AM PDT

The limitations of online-only DRM are, perhaps, in truth only hypothetical. It’s possible to imagine a DRM scheme that must be online all the time, yet handles outages gracefully and never limits your play. Unfortunately, that DRM is not the kind Blizzard is installing on Diablo 3, one of the most anticipated titles of the year. At a briefing given to a few gaming sites, it was revealed that the game will indeed require an active internet connection at all times in order to play at all.

Remember the last time a top-shelf game did this? Remember the outages, the errors, the frustration, the lack of communication? Blizzard says it has to be this way because otherwise they can’t be sure you haven’t cheated to create your character. What a brilliant solution to the problem!

Here’s the money quote, as reported by 1up:

While Pardo recognizes that people sometimes want or need to play offline (such as internet outages, or playing on a laptop during an airplane flight), he notes that the increased security, plus benefits like the above, outweigh those other concerns. “I want to play Diablo 3 on my laptop in a plane, but, well, there are other games to play for times like that.”

What a great thing to say! What an incredibly lucid statement! He’s completely correct. There are other games to play. Other games that, unlike Diablo 3, I’ll be buying.

The very first thing I thought of was simply to make the system opt-in: you create a character on Battle.net and log in to play single player, collect loot, and are tracked the whole time. That’s the way persistent online games work. Has been for quite a long time now. But what if you just want to play offline? Why, you create an offline character, who can never be played online. The online character is stored entirely on Blizzard’s servers (like, say, my guy in Bad Company 2), and the offline character is stored locally (oh, like my other guy in Bad Company 2).

Blizzard isn’t stupid — or perhaps I should say, they aren’t stupid in a way that would prevent them from thinking of this solution. But they are stupid if they think this is going to work. Battle.net might be one of the biggest online gaming presences in the world, but if Blizzard thinks this little obstacle won’t be cracked and Battle.net spoofed, they’ve got another think coming. And if they think breaking paying users’ games will decrease piracy, they’re just plain nuts. A little more banter can be found at PC Gamer’s writeup of the briefing.

And a note to Blizzard PR: suggesting people play other games than your own because yours will be deliberately inaccessible isn’t really selling it.

Apple Announces A Full Assault On The Cable Box With The Streaming Of Purchased TV Shows

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:52 AM PDT

An Apple TV update is rolling out today. But this device update isn’t the news. Sure, streaming purchased TV shows to the device is a welcomed, but not really novel idea. Now, post update, users will have the choice to either buy or rent a TV show and stream it to their Apple TV. Great. But this update turns Apple’s little hobby into a full-fledged money-making machine.

The Apple TV is a sort of Trojan Horse. At only $99, Apple diehards and general consumers alike have been buying up the streamer in mass since it debuted. But it’s always felt, well, like Apple said, a hobby device or rather a side-project with an incomplete feature set and gimped media offering. Up until AirPlay, the Apple TV felt a bit like a sucker’s device, a high-margin product designed to draw out a few more dollars from Apple buyers.

Not any more. The Apple TV is now the living room division of what’s sure to be a huge offensive by Apple. TV episodes bought on any device now are now accessible on other Apple devices and vice versa. Spend $2.99 to buy an episode of Community and it’s available on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and now Apple TV. Don’t underestimate Apple’s reach now. TV shows are likely only the beginning. This cloud streaming storage method will likely work with movies as well — as long as the movie studios play ball.

Apple has long relied on iTunes for local content delivery. Plug in your iPod and your media library was synced to the the device. But this requires local storage, which is slow, expensive and not very flexible. Once Apple puts video content in the cloud, a device’s local storage is left to just handle the trivial task of storing music and photos.

The update seems to be only for the US market right now. Other markets are likely on tap for the coming days and/or weeks.

The Apple TV is no longer a hobby, for Steve & Co.. It’s now a made man of the iTunes cartel. Apple has always made it easy for its users to spend money. Forget renting a TV show, Apple wants users to spend three times as much, but have access to it forever on all of their Apple devices. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

Robot HIRO Learns, Adapts To New Situations Autonomously (Video)

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT

Robots that have the ability to “learn” to do specific tasks are nothing new, but truly autonomous models are still a thing of the future. The Tokyo Institute of Technology is working on a robot that’s supposed to be able to learn, adapt to new situations and act in a human-like way someday.

When compared to similar robots out there, “HIRO” is pretty impressive. As you can see in the video embedded below, the robot  uses a algorithm called SOINN (Self-Organizing Incremental Neural Network) [JP] to do its magic (hardware-wise, HIRO [JP] is rather bland).

When confronted with a new problem, HIRO tries to “remember” past actions and accesses stored information in order to solve it (in the simulated environment shown in the clip below, HIRO is preparing a glass of cold water by itself). It also can be “taught” to do certain tasks, and it’s able to learn and react by analyzing the world around him (video and audio data).

We’ve seen that before, but what’s interesting about this robot is that it can connect to other sources to obtain more information to solve problems. When in trouble, its makers say HIRO will be able to access the web by itself to get information or even connect to other robots that have experience in overcoming a specific obstacle.

Here’s a video showing the robot in action (shot by Diginfonews in Tokyo, in English):

University Of Southern Mississippi Hooks Up Honors Students With Samsung Galaxy Tabs

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 08:14 AM PDT

The classic "my dog ate my homework" excuse just got a lot harder to pull off for students at the University of Southern Mississippi. The University today announced plans to hook up its Honors College students with the inedible Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to extend access to educational content.

The pilot program will launch with up to 1,000 Galaxy Tabs, which will be distributed to selected Honors College, McNair Scholars, Southern Style and Gulf Coast students. Not sure what Southern Style or Gulf Coast students are, but if you're one of them, congratulations on your new GalTab.

The slates will come loaded with Blackboard Mobile, giving students access to the course syllabi, content, e-texbooks, grades, schedules, and emergency notifications. With students and professors both on the same OS with the same hardware, sharing of video, audio and other content will be that much easier. Plus, the trees are really excited about being left alone.



No Galaxy Tab 10.1 For The Outback Until The Apple-Samsung War Cools Down

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 07:30 AM PDT

G'day, mates. At least, it's a good Monday for us. Australians, on the other hand, have just been excluded from all the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 fun as a result of the continuing patent battle between Samsung and Apple. During a break in the hearing, both parties reached an agreement whereby Samsung would stop advertising the Tab 10.1 in Australia and not sell the device until Samsung wins court approval or the lawsuit itself comes to a conclusion.

One of Apple's lawyers, Steven Burley, claimed that Samsung's newest 10-inch tablet infringes on 10 Apple patents related to the iPad, concerning both the external design and certain facets of the touchscreen technology. Of course, if a judge rules in favor of Samsung on this one, then Apple has agreed to pay unspecified damages for time wasted and profits forfeited, reports Bloomberg.

The Outback isn’t the only place where Samsung may face trouble. Though the Cupertino-based company has not divulged all the details, it's clear that Apple will try to seek import bans in countries other than Australia. And before you go getting all angry with Apple, know that Samsung started it. At least when it comes to the import bans.

Samsung filed with the United States International Trade Commission at the end of June asking to ban imports of iStuff. An official decision has yet to be reached. Then again, neither company would be in this mess at all if Apple hadn't come after Samsung in the first place, crying copycat and patent infringement all the way to the courtroom.

The patent-infringing Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the version meant to be distributed in the U.S. According to Samsung's lawyers, the Australian version of the tablet is different, and Apple will have a chance to review three units of the Aussie's Galaxy Tab 10.1 at least a week before Samsung plans to launch the device.