Tuesday 30 August 2011
Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ as a children’s book
Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ as a children’s book:
Illustrations by Andrew Kolb
…
This capsule was curated by Stevyn Colgan
Thursday 25 August 2011
R-Type Coming to Android on September 12
R-Type Coming to Android on September 12:
One of the all-time classic shoot-em-up games of the 80's, R-Type, is about to hit Android in the next few weeks. Those of you who grew up playing games on the Amiga, Atari, and Commodore 64 will undoubtedly be familiar with the title and its ridiculous amount of power-ups. According to the email we received, everything that went into the original version will be found in this new Android iteration, including the charge shot. If the idea of a direct 80's port doesn't get you excited, maybe OpenFeint integration and cross-platform leaderboards and achievements will. Look for R-Type on September 12th in the Android Market!
R-Type Coming to Android on September 12 originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Video: OK Go covers The Muppets
Video: OK Go covers The Muppets:
Please enjoy this video of OK Go covering "The Muppet Show Theme Song." (Thanks, Lisa Mumbach!)
Please enjoy this video of OK Go covering "The Muppet Show Theme Song." (Thanks, Lisa Mumbach!)
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Samsung cites Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' movie as prior art against iPad design patent
Samsung cites Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' movie as prior art against iPad design patent: 
Late last night, Samsung filed its opposition brief to Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction in the United States. The main part of Samsung's opposition brief has not yet entered the public record because they filed it under seal. I hope to see a redacted version later today. Samsung has also filed extensive declarations with numerous exhibits, and those documents already give an idea of what Samsung's defense strategy against Apple's motion is.
One element of Samsung's defense strategy is interesting enough that I wanted to report on it beforehand. Ever since Apple started to assert the design of the iPad against other manufacturers, many people have been wondering whether there's actually prior art for the general design of the iPad in some futuristic devices shown in sci-fi movies and TV series. And indeed, Samsung's lawyers make this claim now in their defense against Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction.
The following image shows the content of page 2 of an exhibit filed by Samsung with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (click to enlarge):
This is how the related declaration explains why this movie picture is valid prior art for a certain iPad-related design patent:
Attached hereto as Exhibit D is a true and correct copy of a still image taken from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey." In a clip from that film lasting about one minute, two astronauts are eating and at the same time using personal tablet computers. The clip can be downloaded online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8pQVDyaLo. As with the design claimed by the D’889 Patent, the tablet disclosed in the clip has an overall rectangular shape with a dominant display screen, narrow borders, a predominately flat front surface, a flat back surface (which is evident because the tablets are lying flat on the table's surface), and a thin form factor.
I also watched that movie years ago. I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I think it's a good film. Admittedly, I had forgotten about those tablet computers shown in it.
It would be amazing if the court agreed with Samsung that this constitutes prior art for that particular iPad-related design patent. Whether or not Samsung will succeed, the mere fact that they proffer this kind of evidence is remarkable and will be exciting for many fans of movies in general -- and of that movie in particular -- to find out about.
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Developers Start Your Engines, Preview of Google TV add-on now Available for Android SDK
Developers Start Your Engines, Preview of Google TV add-on now Available for Android SDK:
Great news for Google TV owners and developers alike. Those promises of the Android Market on your Google TV have just received a huge kick towards reality. In preparation for a soon-to-come Honeycomb update, developers can now download a preview of the Google TV add-on for the Android SDK. While the add-on doesn't contain all features of Google TV it will allow developers a head start in getting their apps ready for Google TV.
The add-on provides all the tools necessary for app development, emulation (only on Linux with KVM) and testing. The Google TV add-on includes new API's for TV interaction along with a few online publications to help make the app transition as painless as possible. The UI guidelines have some excellent tips along with a few simple reminders such as "TVs are always in landscape." Want to make sure your app gets listed in the Android Market for Google TV? Then you're going to want to read the "Feature Support in Google TV" section for instructions on how to specify that your application does not require full touchscreen support.
Just thinking about Honeycomb and the Android Market on my TV makes me salivate. The faster developers get started on creating and porting their Android apps to Google TV the better. Google TV is about to be resurrected very soon so all you sad faces out there that missed out on the HP TouchPad deal, you now know what to do with that extra $99 dollars --- can you say Logitech Revue!
Source: Google TV Blog via Phandroid
Developers Start Your Engines, Preview of Google TV add-on now Available for Android SDK originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
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New pictures from Doctor Who series 6 part 2
New pictures from Doctor Who series 6 part 2: 
What's in store in the weeks ahead for Doctor Who fans? The latest pictures from the BBC offer a few hints...
What's in store in the weeks ahead for Doctor Who fans? The latest pictures from the BBC offer a few hints...
Doctor Who finally returns to our screens this Saturday night with the first episode of series six part two, Let's Kill Hitler. Beyond that, though, there are five more episodes to look forward to, and the latest collection of pictures released by the BBC offer some hints as to what's to come.
The usual drill applies: click on any of them to make them bigger. And our spoiler-filled Let's Kill Hitler review will be live, as usual, on Saturday night. Our spoiler-free take on the episode is here.
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
Monday 15 August 2011
Apple’s Evidence in Galaxy Tab Injunction Case may have been Flawed
Apple’s Evidence in Galaxy Tab Injunction Case may have been Flawed: "
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New light has been shed on a sketchy side-by-side comparison photo Apple submitted as evidence in the court case that resulted in an injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Europe. The photo, meant to demonstrate the similarity between the two tablets, shows a stretched photo of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, resulting in a much more similar appearance between the two tablets.
Apple’s filing for a preliminary injunction on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in a German court, effectively banned the Android tablet from being imported to all of Europe. An investigation by Webwereld.nl found modified photos of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 had been submitted to the court as evidence which gave the appearance of a much stronger similarity between Apple and Samsung’s devices.
Apple’s iPad 2 has an aspect ratio of 1.30, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a noticeably wider aspect ratio of 1.46. In the image submitted, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was stretched to have an apparent aspect ratio of 1.36. 8% wider than the actual device, and much closer to the iPad 2. I won’t even start on the fact the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was displayed in vertical orientation (while horizontal is the default for Android tablets).
This new evidence could be a game changer, in Samsung’s favor. Since Apple was the only one able to submit evidence in the filing due to its nature, the truth of the evidence presented takes on particular importance. Hopefully this will lead to Europe getting the same awesome tablet we’re still allowed to enjoy over here.
[via SlashGear]
)
Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility
Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility: "
Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide—with over 550,000 devices now lit up every day—through a network of about 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers in 123 countries. Given Android’s phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem. That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola.
Motorola has a history of over 80 years of innovation in communications technology and products, and in the development of intellectual property, which have helped drive the remarkable revolution in mobile computing we are all enjoying today. Its many industry milestones include the introduction of the world’s first portable cell phone nearly 30 years ago, and the StarTAC—the smallest and lightest phone on earth at time of launch. In 2007, Motorola was a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance that worked to make Android the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. I have loved my Motorola phones from the StarTAC era up to the current DROIDs.
In 2008, Motorola bet big on Android as the sole operating system across all of its smartphone devices. It was a smart bet and we’re thrilled at the success they’ve achieved so far. We believe that their mobile business is on an upward trajectory and poised for explosive growth.
Motorola is also a market leader in the home devices and video solutions business. With the transition to Internet Protocol, we are excited to work together with Motorola and the industry to support our partners and cooperate with them to accelerate innovation in this space.
Motorola’s total commitment to Android in mobile devices is one of many reasons that there is a natural fit between our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers everywhere.
This acquisition will not change our commitment to run Android as an open platform. Motorola will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences.
We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences. I am confident that these great experiences will create huge value for shareholders.
I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.
Posted by Larry Page, CEO
"
Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide—with over 550,000 devices now lit up every day—through a network of about 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers in 123 countries. Given Android’s phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem. That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola.
Motorola has a history of over 80 years of innovation in communications technology and products, and in the development of intellectual property, which have helped drive the remarkable revolution in mobile computing we are all enjoying today. Its many industry milestones include the introduction of the world’s first portable cell phone nearly 30 years ago, and the StarTAC—the smallest and lightest phone on earth at time of launch. In 2007, Motorola was a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance that worked to make Android the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. I have loved my Motorola phones from the StarTAC era up to the current DROIDs.
In 2008, Motorola bet big on Android as the sole operating system across all of its smartphone devices. It was a smart bet and we’re thrilled at the success they’ve achieved so far. We believe that their mobile business is on an upward trajectory and poised for explosive growth.
Motorola is also a market leader in the home devices and video solutions business. With the transition to Internet Protocol, we are excited to work together with Motorola and the industry to support our partners and cooperate with them to accelerate innovation in this space.
Motorola’s total commitment to Android in mobile devices is one of many reasons that there is a natural fit between our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers everywhere.
This acquisition will not change our commitment to run Android as an open platform. Motorola will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences.
We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences. I am confident that these great experiences will create huge value for shareholders.
I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.
Posted by Larry Page, CEO
Thursday 11 August 2011
Games in Google+: fun that fits your schedule
Games in Google+: fun that fits your schedule: "My family has a games closet. Inside you’ll find a few decks of cards, two decades’ worth of board games and a Twister mat for those times when we’re feeling limber. Playing games is a great way for us to spend quality time with each other (and a little healthy competition never hurt anyone either).
Today we’re adding games to Google+. With the Google+ project, we want to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to the web. But sharing is about more than just conversations. The experiences we have together are just as important to our relationships. We want to make playing games online just as fun, and just as meaningful, as playing in real life.
That means giving you control over when you see games, how you play them and with whom you share your experiences. Games in Google+ are there when you want them and gone when you don’t.
When you’re ready to play, the Games page is waiting—click the games button at the top of your stream. You can see the latest game updates from your circles, browse the invites you’ve received and check out games that people you know have played recently. The Games page is also where your game accomplishments will appear. So you can comfortably share your latest high score—your circles will only see the updates when they’re interested in playing games too.
If you’re not interested in games, it’s easy to ignore them. Your stream will remain focused on conversations with the people you care about.
You’ll have a fun initial set of games to play with on Google+. Thanks to the developers who’ve worked with us to make them available:
If you’re a developer interested in building games for Google+, you can learn more on our new Google+ developer blog.
Today we’re starting to gradually roll out games in Google+. We look forward to making them fully available to everyone in Google+ soon. When you see a Games page in your account, please give games a try and send us feedback. Look for the 'send feedback' button in the bottom right-hand corner of any page in Google+. Thanks for playing! Like the rest of the Google+ project, we're just getting started.
Posted by Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President, Engineering
"
Today we’re adding games to Google+. With the Google+ project, we want to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to the web. But sharing is about more than just conversations. The experiences we have together are just as important to our relationships. We want to make playing games online just as fun, and just as meaningful, as playing in real life.
That means giving you control over when you see games, how you play them and with whom you share your experiences. Games in Google+ are there when you want them and gone when you don’t.
When you’re ready to play, the Games page is waiting—click the games button at the top of your stream. You can see the latest game updates from your circles, browse the invites you’ve received and check out games that people you know have played recently. The Games page is also where your game accomplishments will appear. So you can comfortably share your latest high score—your circles will only see the updates when they’re interested in playing games too.
If you’re not interested in games, it’s easy to ignore them. Your stream will remain focused on conversations with the people you care about.
You’ll have a fun initial set of games to play with on Google+. Thanks to the developers who’ve worked with us to make them available:
If you’re a developer interested in building games for Google+, you can learn more on our new Google+ developer blog.
Today we’re starting to gradually roll out games in Google+. We look forward to making them fully available to everyone in Google+ soon. When you see a Games page in your account, please give games a try and send us feedback. Look for the 'send feedback' button in the bottom right-hand corner of any page in Google+. Thanks for playing! Like the rest of the Google+ project, we're just getting started.
Posted by Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President, Engineering
"
Clever Girl: Facebook Lets You Export Friends’ Email Addresses, But Makes It Opt-In
Clever Girl: Facebook Lets You Export Friends’ Email Addresses, But Makes It Opt-In: "
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It’s now possible to export your Facebook social graph. Your real social graph, complete with your friends’ emails, which means you can leave Facebook and import your social network into a rival site.
But only if your friends opt into it. And they won’t.
Facebook has quietly added a new feature to its Account Settings page, giving users the option to “Allow friends to include my email address in Download Your Information“. Check it, and the next time your friend decides to download an archive of their Facebook data, they’ll get your email address too so they can stay in touch.
It’s an ingenious move on Facebook’s part that will help undermine arguments that it is holding users’ data hostage, while simultaneously ensuring that it keeps a firm grip on its massively valuable social graph.
There’s a lot of history involved here, so let’s take a look back.
‘Download Your Information‘ is a feature that launched last fall, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: click it, and within a few hours you’ll receive an archive of your photos, status updates, and list of friends. Up until now that list of friends has been quite literal — it’s a list of your friends’ names, with no accompanying email address or contact information. Which means it’s effectively useless to other services that would love nothing better than to import your social graph. Like, say, Google.
Last fall, Google and Facebook engaged in a very public slap fight over contact data. Google struck first, blocking Facebook from importing users’ Google address books because Facebook wasn’t letting contact data flow the other direction. Which meant that Google would have a much harder time rebuilding the social graph when it launched what eventually became Google+.
Facebook’s argument was that your friends shouldn’t necessarily have the right to import your email address into another service. Which didn’t really make sense, because Facebook users can already export all of their friends’ email addresses to Yahoo Mail (and only Yahoo Mail). Then again, Google’s argument that users should be able to export their friends’ email addresses didn’t really make sense, because it previously made a nearly an identical case about data ownership when it blocked Facebook’s ability to import data from Orkut.
Anyway, hypocrisy aside, the underlying motivations for both companies are obvious enough. Google wants Facebook’s social graph (in part because Facebook’s already sucked so much data out of Google Contacts) and Facebook doesn’t want to give it to them.
Which brings us back to today’s launch. This small checkbox is perfectly in line with Facebook’s argument that users should have control over their data. And when people (or Google) complain that they can’t export their friends’ email addresses, Facebook can say it’s not because it’s holding them hostage — it’s that users simply aren’t interested in sharing that data.
But, again, Facebook knows full well that most people aren’t going to go digging through settings to check that box. Many of them probably don’t know the ‘Download Your Information’ option exists, and they certainly haven’t put much thought into whether their friends should be able to download their email address as part of that archive. The box isn’t checked, and it’ll stay that way.
Also worth noting: Facebook hasn’t been shy about automatically opting users into new features by default (Instant Personalization, anyone?), and yet it’s taken the ‘safe’ route here by making it opt-in. I’m sure Facebook would argue that they’ve learned from their past mistakes. Or maybe it just has absolutely no incentive to help people export their social graph.
We’ve reached out to Facebook for a statement.
Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users.
Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004, initially as an exclusive network for Harvard students. It...
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