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Facebook post causes man to shoot daughter’s computer: video

2012-02-11T15:39:00.000+05:30

If you’re a teenager, you better be careful what you post on Facebook. That’s especially true if you have a father who works in IT. But there’s that one quirk about teenagers – no matter what common sense says, they think they know better. That is, until they’re taught a lesson they can never forget. Apparently this dad thought a bullet might teach that lesson. Better yet, nine bullets. He shot his daughter’s computer after finding a disparaging message on her Facebook wall.

And he documented it all on video so he could post it on YouTube for all to see. And so far it has received nearly 2.9 million views. In the video, the angry dad reveals he saw a ‘hidden’ wall post on her daughter’s Facebook account while he was upgrading her computer. “Since you want to hide it from everyone, I’m going to share it with everybody,” the dad, Tommy Jordan, said. He then goes on to read her tirade about how she dislikes her chores and all the other stuff most teenagers have to deal with.

Apparently this isn’t the first time she’s used Facebook to vent her frustrations with her life at home. “You don’t have that hard a life, but you’re about to. I warned you months ago about what would happen if you did something like this on Facebook again,” he continues. And then, the piece of resistance – he shoots his daughter’s laptop nine times. The video, as you would expect, has drawn reactions from both people who approve and disapprove. What do you think? Watch the video for yourself.

GameStop confirms will have PlayStation Vita midnight launch

2012-02-11T15:38:00.000+05:30

If you absolutely have to be among the first to pick up Sony’s newest game device, head to GameStop. The retailer will be offering midnight launch events at locations throughout the country. Select stores will open at 11:00 PM on Tuesday night, then as the clock strikes midnight will begin giving the Vitas to eager early adopters. Customers are encouraged to pre-order a unit on GameStop’s website prior to arriving for the event, though it is not mandatory.

As has become standard with GameStop’s midnight launch events, the time between 11 PM and midnight is when you’ll actually pay for your Vita and finalize the transaction. Then, when the calendar turns to February 15, the store will begin handing out the units to expedite the process and get everyone out of the store as close to midnight as possible. It appears that most gamers will have a participating store within just a couple miles of their home, though we did a quick search and found no midnight launch stores in Manhattan.
The Vita, which was originally scheduled to launch in the US over the past holiday season but was pushed back to the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami, is Sony’s first new gaming platform in more than five years. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding it, but also questions from critics who wonder if there is still room for a dedicated portable game machine in a world of Android and iPhones. Sony is eager to prove that indeed there is.

Facebook defriending act blamed for double murder

2012-02-11T15:37:00.000+05:30

After a couple was found dead in their Tennessee home, police pointed the blame to a couple computer clicks. Specifically, officials said, they were each shot in the head because they “defriended” someone on Facebook. And it wasn’t even the defriended person who committed the homicides; it was her father and another man. There have been many reports of bullying and even violence connected to social networking sites, but a double murder is beyond almost anything reported to date.

In a Reuters report, the county’s Sheriff Mike Reece called the act “the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” adding, “We’ve had murders, but nothing like this. This is just senseless.” The story goes that Billy Clay Payne, Jr and Billie Jean Hayworth axed their former friend Jenelle Potter from Facebook. Potter, described as being in her late 20s or early 30s, lived at home and spent most of her time on the social networking site.

She must have expressed outrage about the digital dissing to her dad, Marvin Potter, because the next thing anyone knew, Payne and Hayworth were dead. Both had gunshots to the head, and Payne also had his throat slashed. Potter, 60, was joined by Jamie Lynn Curd, 38, and it was not immediately known what their relationship was. Both have been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

TomTom to provide insurance company with your driving style

2012-02-11T15:36:00.002+05:30

Are you in good hands? Better yet, is your car? GPS manufacturer TomTom is ready to give a judgment on how good of a driver you are. The company has partnered up with insurance broker Motaquote to give drivers individualized quotes based on their specific driving habits. For the insurance industry, it’s like an underwriting gold mine. But for the individual driver, it may feel kind of like an invasion of privacy.

So here’s how it works. If you want to sign up for the plan, you’ll receive a TomTom Pro 3100 unit for free, with specialized software that determines when you might make a maneuver that is deemed risky. For example, it’ll notice when you’re going too fast or if you take turns too sharply. But that’s not all. You’ll also have to have a device installed to your car itself which tracks more detailed driving info.

There are benefits to this intrusion. Of course, you get a free GPS. And also, if you are in fact a really good driver, it will recognize that. You’ll be eligible for a discount instead of being grouped into the other people who happen to be the same age and have the same kind of car as you. It’s an interesting step, and one that the bigger insurance players are no doubt very hesitant to try. But it could be a sign of things to come.

Amazon is looking for people to produce original TV content

2012-02-11T15:36:00.001+05:30

In the highly competitive world of digital streaming, where everyone can pretty much get access to the same slate of popular content and offer it at pretty much the same price, there’s a strong need to create something new and differentiated. Hulu has been trying to set itself apart not only by offering much more timely TV content but also creating a bold initiative on making its own Web shows that are available exclusively on Hulu. It looks like Amazon wants to take a page out of that book.

Amazon is still very much the new kid on the block when it comes to streaming. Even though a year of Amazon Prime is cheaper than a year of Netflix, and the volume of movies and TV shows is comparable, it’s tough to compete against the well defined leader in the market. So these new job postings on Amazon.com are pretty interesting. Specifically, the jobs are for Amazon’s “People Production Company.”

One of the listings is for a VP of Series Development, which lists responsibilities like asessing pilot proposals, working with writers and artists, staffing and casting new projects, and supervising series production. This idea of original content is also starting to break out in Netflix, as well as sponsored content on YouTube. Apparently, Amazon paid more than $2.5 million to develop potential pilots in 2011, but nothing made it to distribution. At least not yet.

Bethesda’s Skyrim on PS3 finally gets patch

2012-02-11T15:34:00.000+05:30

After months of agony, PS3 gamers are now finally able to download a patch for the newest Elder Scrolls game that promises to fix what was a monumental lag glitch. The problem revolved around the save file, which got bigger and bigger as players progressed deeper into the game. As a result, the more time you put into Skyrim, the more frustrating you’d get. Now, though, it seems whatever was causing that problem has been taken care of.

The crippling file size bug seemed to really only affect PS3 users, and had absolutely no impact on PC gamers. Bethesda released a patch to the PC version last month, but because consoles require an entire certification and scheduling process before any game-related file can be pushed out to users, PS3 owners were forced to just wait and wait. And now, the wait is over. According to gamer reactions, the new patch does the job just fine.

Bethesda recommends that after downloading the patch, players should go into the game and manually save their progress to overwrite the glitchy save file. Players should immediately notice the new save file has a smaller file size. Then, if you quit the game and go back in to your new save file, which will still contain all the progress from your old save file, the game should run much more smoothly. For PS3 Skyrims fans, the only words that fit in this situation are “it’s about time.”

LG Optimus Vu and Samsung Galaxy Note pictured side-by-side

2012-02-11T15:32:00.000+05:30

To say the least, LG made some heads turn when its newest smartphone, known as the Optimus Vu, made its rounds on the blogosphere. The fact that it sports a 5-inch display is intriguing enough; it’s part of what could be new trend. But what’s really odd is its 4:3 aspect ratio, making us think back to the days of old-school TV. You know, before the letters “HD” meant anything to most people. The question many posed was “why do we want to step back to that time?”

The flip side of the argument, though, is that a 4:3 display gives the device a wider aesthetic when held in portrait mode, making it more amenable to reading books or looking at portrait-oriented photos. We’ve all become accustomed to widescreen displays so something like this just looks inherently weird. And as the above picture shows, compared to Samsung’s large Galaxy Note phone, it just looks outdated.

Nevertheless, the Vu will surely appeal to a select group of phone users. The market for a 5-inch phone is probably notably different than that of a 4-inch phone. This new category of “phablets” or “tabletphones,” whatever you want to call it, will no doubt have some growing pains. The idea of going back to a world of 4:3 aspect ratios just seems unlikely, but we probably would have said the same thing about 5-inch phones in the first place, just a couple years ago.

Microsoft’s Xbox 720 will have a touch-screen controller: report

2012-02-11T15:31:00.000+05:30

At last year’s E3 trade show, Nintendo admittedly bungled the debut of its Wii U console. But if you were actually in the crowd when the company showed off the revolutionary new controller, which looks and feels more like an iPad than a bunch of joysticks and buttons, you would have seen a lot of excitement among the gaming establishment. Now it looks like Microsoft might be trying to tap into that excitement as well.

According to Xbox World Magazine, the successor to the Xbox 360 will use controllers that have “an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks.” The main purpose of incorporating a display into the controller is apparently to demonstrate the multipurpose functionality of the Xbox 720. That is to say, when you’re playing an Xbox game the controller will display game menus and functions, but when you’re watching streaming video it might be used as a virtual TV remote.

The Xbox 360 has obviously been transformed from a game box that had no HDMI output or Wi-Fi connectivity, to a living room hub with the ability to do everything from log into social networks to watching live TV without ever needing to pick up your TV remote. However, it appears Microsoft might be heading down the same road Sony did when it went from PS2 to PS3 – going too far too fast, and expecting customers to pay an arm and a leg to keep up. Xbox World Magazine projects that the Xbox 720 will retail for more than $500.

Japanese scientists create Avatar in real life, sort of

2012-02-11T15:30:00.002+05:30

A group of Japanese researchers have developed technology that allows someone to wear a visor and a special pair of gloves to control a nearby robot. It’s like putting yourself in place of the robot, from the comfort of sitting down. If that sounds at all confusing, how about we put it this way – it’s like the movie Avatar but in real life. Oh yeah; you knew it was only a matter of time, right?

We may not be able to beam up Scotty or use the force on planet Earth just yet, but this instance of science fiction turning into real science is just as exciting. So with the visor over your head, what you see is exactly what the robot sees. Sensors in the robot, named Telesar V, can also relay sound. And as for the gloves, well they’re lined with semiconductors and tiny motors to relay sensations of heat or texture.

So, yes, in addition to seeing and hearing exactly what Telesar V sees and hears, you can also feel what he feels. So far, though, there are no plans to send the little robotic buddy to a distant planet filled with Telesar cousins so humans can try to blend in and understand the alien population. What professor Susumu Tachi, who designed the bot, wants to use it for is to examine disaster areas that may be unsafe or impossible for humans to navigate. Obviously it was partially inspired by the Japanese earthquake and nuclear disaster last year.

SkinIt Etched Metal Plate for iPhone 4S Review

2012-02-11T15:30:00.001+05:30

As far as unique skins for the mobile market go, iPhone or not, there’s nothing quite as detailed and unique as SkinIt’s own Etched Metal Plates. These plates are made specifically for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S and attach flat to the back of your device with a simple adhesive sticker. The adhesive is no joke, of course, strong as it needs to be to hold this plate on for the long haul, and the folks at SkinIt mean business when they say its stainless steel.

Those of you looking for protection for the back of your iPhone, you’re certainly going to find it here. This is a plate, meaning its flat and does not wrap around the edges of your device in any way. These plates are not made specifically for protection, nor do they interfere with any other accessory you might have for the device (to a degree – it’s not invisible, after all,) and will not cut down on your reception in any way at all. These plates are made to make your iPhone into a “sculptured work of art” – and they certainly have no trouble doing that.

Have a look at the application video here and see how simple it is to get one of these mothers on to the back of your iPhone. Here we’re using the iPhone 4S from Verizon, but know this: these plates work perfectly fine for all iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models. The only complaint I’ve had about the plate I have here (it being the Etched Great Wave Steel) is that I get worried that the metal will scratch the OTHER devices I’ve got in my pocket. If you’re not the sort of person who carries around more than one smartphone at a time in one pocket, you’ll be just fine.

At the moment the folks at SkinIt have five different designs for their Etched Metal series: Flourish, Sudden Blush, Millipede, Circles, and Great Wave, and each design has its own set of color options. Each design has Black, Steel, Berry, and Lime color options, while the Wave has Blue instead of Lime, and the metal is actually a different color if you choose steel over any of the other colors. the colors come in behind the metal in a surface that lie between the adhesive and the metal – so you wont be seeing your iPhone’s back color with these plates.

The best part about this whole situation is that all colors and designs are a mere $24.99 each – pick up a batch! These plates are all in stock right this second over at SkinIt’s own online store.

Anonymous takes credit for crashing CIA website

2012-02-11T15:29:00.000+05:30

Notorious hacker group Anonymous is claiming credit for taking down the CIA’s website today, which went offline for about an hour. A public website for the state of Alabama was also knocked down by hackers today, says a state official.

Around Eastern time 3:30pm, Anonymous posted via its Twitter account the following tweet: “CIA TANGO DOWN: https://www.cia.gov/ #Anonymous.” The CIA website had become unresponsive likely due to a distribute denial of service (DDoS) type of attack that the hacker group commonly launches against its targets.

Following the recent MegaUpload shutdown, those targets have included websites belonging to the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the US Copyright Office. Anonymous also recently intercepted a call between the FBI and Scotland Yard in which the two agencies discussed investigations into the hacker group’s activities.

Hertz testing Plugless Power wireless charging for its rental EVs

2012-02-11T15:28:00.001+05:30

Hertz announced this week that it will be the first rental car company to implement a wireless charging system for its fleet of electric vehicles (EVs). The company will be participating in Plugless Power’s pilot program, a first of its kind in the world.

The Plugless Power system is supplied by Virginia-based Evatran, which plans to be selling the wireless charging kit as an aftermarket option for the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf by the end of this year. Hertz has a diverse fleet of EVs that currently includes these two models.

The wireless charging system is intended for both fleet and home use with a consumer price tag of $2,500. The solution will be deployed initially in low volumes and will include wall-mounted screens that guide drivers to park their EVs properly over the charging unit.

Piracy study suggests US Box Office completely unaffected by Torrents

2012-02-11T15:27:00.002+05:30

There’s a brand new study being pushed at the moment which suggests that there’s no evidence that Torrent piracy affects US Box Office returns. In addition the only discernible link found in this paper published by the University of Minnesota and Wellesley College was in potential sales cut down by users downloading films in the time between their US and international release. What these two points suggest is that if BitTorrent were the only way people were able to download movies, it would essentially be solely on the shoulders of the film industry to change their ways to stopper up piracy, not any type of government-made law.

The 28-page report comes from Brett Danaher, Department of Economics at Wellesley College, and Joel Waldfogel, Department of Economics at University of Minnesota and National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Carlson School of Management, Twin Cities. These two fellows have published the paper Reel Piracy:The Effect of Online Film Piracy on International Box Office Sales, 28 pages of research concluding in the idea that for this sect of the piracy universe, right here with Torrents specifically, the following is true:

Our findings indicate that, as a lower bound, international box office returns in our sample were at least 7% lower than they would have been in the absence of pre-release piracy. By contrast, we do not see evidence of elevated sales displacement in US box office revenue following the adoption of BitTorrent, and we suggest that delayed legal availability of the content abroad may drive the losses to piracy.

Torrents are a popular way for download files using the hosting power of multiple servers rather than just one – its rise to popularity also saw a massive new following of pirates across the earth just a few short years ago. The recent Megaupload shutdown was tied to Torrents only in the idea that they both had the potential for piracy. Instead the most popular Torrent-based website you may have heard of is the Pirate Bay, recently noted for their 3D modeling downloads and their newfound ability to have users download their whole site in a small file.

So as always, it’s up to you to decide what’s best for the film industry. The war rages on, and we’ll continue to let you know the biggest bits in the battles as they occur!

Samsung Galaxy Note coming soon in Berry Pink

2012-02-11T15:27:00.001+05:30

Samsung’s Galaxy Note smartphone-tablet hybrid may sport a massive 5.3-inch screen that seems a tad masculine, but it will be arriving soon in a new color that aims to appeal to the ladies. According to a leaked insider info sheet, Samsung will be introducing a Berry Pink-colored Galaxy Note in the next few weeks.

GSM Arena obtained the document, which reveals that the first samples for the Berry Pink Galaxy Note will arrive on the 8th week of this year, with public availability starting in the 9th week, or about three weeks from now. The device will also be available in its standard Carbon Blue and Ceramic White, with which we’ve recently spent some hands-on time.

The new color makes sense since Samsung has admitted to targeting the female demographic with the Galaxy Note. The device’s size is generally too big for comfort in pants pockets, but fine in purses and handbags. Unfortunately, the device just misses Valentines Day, but will likely make a showing at Mobile World Congress later this month.

iPad 3′s biggest boost will be its massive resolution

2012-02-11T15:25:00.002+05:30

This week we’ve had no lack of rumors and near-confirmations that the next iPad is on its way, and it’s on its way soon – with a much crisper display in tow. Developers for one of the world’s most lucrative app markets are watching the airwaves to see what the newest iteration of the world’s most popular tablet will consist of so that they might develop future iterations of their apps to match the iPad 3‘s potential. What we’ve got is a couple of tips that lead us to believe that not only will the iPad be bumping up the resolution it’s been working with since its inception, it’ll have four times the amount of pixels it’s had thus far.

If you’ll take a look back at our first of several posts regarding the Retina status of the future iPad’s display, you’ll find a leaked photo of some iPad 3 components. In this photo you’ll find a three wide ribbon cables as opposed to the two that the previous models had. This extra cable is more than likely in place to carry additional data to the high resolution display. Should the iPad 3 carry a Retina display at the massive 2048 x 1536 pixels that are being rumored, the data transfer of three cables will be needed.

Next there’s a peek at iBooks 2 icons that were released some weeks ago. These icons show the requirements for future apps, the amount of pixels being the same change that’d be in play should the Retina display be in full effect on this next iPad. Retina Display code has been spotted in developer code. This week’s iPad 3 component photo leak suggests a new LCD. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Apple recently updated their requirements for developers sending in screenshots for their apps, as seen here:

When you create or update your apps in iTunes Connect, you must upload screenshots that are high-resolution. We require your screenshots as high-resolution images so that your app is optimized for the Retina display.
The requirements for high-resolution images are 960 x 640, 960 x 600, 640 x 960, or 640 x 920 pixels. Images must be at least 72 dpi, in the RGB color space, and the file must be .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .tiff, or .png. You can update your screenshot files at any time in iTunes Connect.

This could mean that iPhones before the iPhone 4 are simply being phased out, the same being true of older iPod Touches leading up to new models in 2012, but as MG Siegler says, “[if] Apple allows the iPad to run iPhone/iPod touch apps with the option to scale them up 2x, non-Retina iPhone apps (480 × 320) will undoubtedly look pretty bad on the Retina iPad.” This may very well be happening in desktop and laptop machines as well, the crisp nature of the future being Apple’s to take in this 2012 season.

So developers, heed the call – amp up your graphics, develop with the future in mind!

Google’s Motorola deal expects EU approval next week

2012-02-11T15:25:00.001+05:30

Google’s bid to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion is set to be approved by the US Department of Justice next week and now insiders claim that the merger will also get the green light in Europe. The European Commission will reportedly approve the deal in “unconditional” form, determining that the acquisition is not anti-competitive.

Both the US DOJ and EC are expected to make their final approvals on Monday, February 13, after which the deal must still seek approval in China, Israel, and Taiwan. It’s possible that the Commission will decide to hold off on approval to open an in-depth investigation, but this is believed to be unlikely.

Google has promised that the massive trove of patents it would acquire from the Motorola deal would be licensed on fair and reasonable terms. It has placed a cap on the fees it would charge at 2.25 percent of the net selling price of each infringing device and has also outlined the conditions under which it would launch patent suits against infringing companies.

MacBook Pro 2012 refresh set for Air-like thinness, next-gen specs

2012-02-11T15:24:00.000+05:30

Apple will radically revamp its MacBook Pro line of notebooks this year, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans for 2012. The new MacBook Pros are expected to feature an ultra-thin unibody design modeled after the MacBook Air and get a spec boost to Intel’s next-gen Ivy Bridge chips.

Citing a source familiar with the new MacBook Pro design, AppleInsider reveals that the new Air-like MacBook Pros will be phased in over the course of this year. The revamped version of the more popular 15-inch model will be introduced first, followed by the 17-inch model later.

For the new notebooks, Apple is expected to eliminate optical disk drives and traditional hard drives, replacing them with solid-state drives. They will rely heavily on Thunderbolt for data transfer as well as digitally distributed software and media, such as downloads from the Mac App Store

The notebooks will feature extended battery life, instant-on capabilities, and Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge chips that are set to ship in April. However, it’s not clear whether the new Apple notebooks will be branded as MacBook Airs or MacBook Pros.

Spark Linux tablet given video rundown

2012-02-11T15:23:00.003+05:30

The device you will soon be looking at is a $256 7-inch tablet running on a basic mobile version of Linux, and its name is Spark. The software user interface goes by the name Plasma Active and has been in the works for some months, ramping up to this point at which this tablet can bring the lovely functionality to the market with what we hope is a beta version of the Spark tablet. You’ll find that the software experience looks familiar if you’re used to using a Linux environment on your computer now, but that the tablet itself isn’t all that impressive when it comes to hardware.

The tablet we’re looking at here is essentially a rebranded Zenithink C71, a device which in that iteration ran Google Android. In this Spark release, the tablet will be packaged with the ability to run Mer as well as Plasma Active. You’ll see more than just a little bit of lag here and there, as even though the tablet has a 1 GHz AMLogic ARM Cortex-A9 processor with Mali 400 graphics, we’re still seeing less than suitable power for even this relatively small screen.

The display here is a mere 800 x 600 pixels for the entirety of its 7-inches, and inside you’ll find 4GB storage, 802.11 b/g Wifi, and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. What’s being marketed here is not just the mediocre tablet specs or the software, but the fact that this is the first “truly open” tablet on the market. It has open source software, an unlocked bootloader, and a content store based on the same open sourced platform the OS is on – the store itself can be created and distributed by anyone.

We’ll watch how this project develops and see if the idea spreads to the rest of the tablet / smartphone world. Likely it’ll remain in the wings and “underground” for some time to come. Also check out this demonstration of the Plasma Active interface on a slightly nicer piece of hardware to see its true potential:

Acer CloudMobile Android 4.0 ICS smartphone revealed and detailed

2012-02-11T15:23:00.001+05:30

Today Acer has both revealed the Acer CloudMobile smartphone and shown it to be a winner of the iF design award 2012. This award is given to Acer for the smartphone for recognition of outstanding achievement in design, and the device is set to be revealed again in detail at Mobile World Congress 2012. This device is the first smartphone in the Acer line to offer AcerCloud technology and is set to be released with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich aboard.

This device is given the CloudMobile name because of its ability to work with Acer’s version of the cloud as we were given introduction to at CES 2012. This device is set to bring a depth of less than a centimeter and a lovely “Sleeve DNA design” which includes comfortable wrapping contours, soft and smooth for a great experience in the hand. This device also features a stainless steel reciever on the front, a fabulous Dolby speaker plate on the back, and “tiny perforation” that bring a tactile experience to such tiny details as the volume button.

This smartphone has an extremely narrow bezel to make the device appear to slim down throughout, the display appearing large in its grand 4.3-inch size, fully laminated and HD. This device device is set to be shown at MWC but will be available throughout the world in the third quarter of 2012. There’s currently no word on whether this includes the United States or not, but given that we have had Acer tablets on US carriers as recently as last year, chances are good!

Have a peek at the phone above and get pumped up for Barcelona, following SlashGear each day through our[MWC 2012 portal]

Tesla Model X maker set for space-bound IPO next year

2012-02-11T15:22:00.001+05:30

Relatively hot on the heels of the IPO of electric car making company Tesla and the reveal of their newest Model X, the head of the group Elon Musk is speaking of an IPO for SpaceX, also known as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. Musk is a man who is set to be one of the few in the history of the world to head three separate companies opening three separate IPOs in the span of three years, and riding high on the wave of press he and Tesla are receiving today amid the reveal of the Model X, he’s been vocal about his next big adventure. This man is so well known for his ability to conceive of and execute giant-style plans like this that he was given a cameo in the film Iron Man 2 pitching an electric jet to Tony Stark – how’s that strike you?

The Tesla Motors group headed by Musk sold its first shares publicly in 2010, and another company whom Musk is the chairman of, SolarCity Corp, will be preparing their IPO this year as well – so say people familiar with the matter speaking with Bloomberg. SolarCity Corp is a group which develops rooftop solar-power systems for a much more efficient and inexpensive future. The SpaceX group, on the other hand, has contracts to launch several satellites and will be shipping cargo to the International Space Station starting in April.

SpaceX was initially started by Musk with money from the IPO of PayPal Inc., another company he co-founded, as well as his stake in the group when it was ultimately sold outright to eBay. SpaceX is currently doing very well on its own and will certainly benefit heavily from an IPO if they do indeed move toward such a situation. As Musk noted this week at the Model X reveal:

“SpaceX, in terms of launches awarded, is the world leader in space launch. We’re beating the Russians, the Chinese, the Europeans, everyone.” – Musk

Can’t wait for this real-life Tony Stark to start making iron suits!

LG Fantasy Mango smartphone photos leaked

2012-02-11T15:21:00.002+05:30

Another smartphone to add to the Mango world for Windows Phone comes here in the LG Fantasy, code named E740 and very likely the same device we saw earlier this week in the LG Miracle. This device is one that’ll be sporting a lovely 4-inch super-bright NOVA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon single-core processor, and a 5 megapixel camera on the back – so you know what that means: mid-range time! LG will certainly need to come correct with the price on this beast if they hope to put a kink in the already standardized set of devices out there for Windows Phone right this minute – drowning is a distinct possibility!

That said, this “Not for sale” labeled working unit does appare to have ScanSearch and what PlayTo has been renamed as: SmartShare, both of these previously exclusive the the Optimus 7, so some sort of exclusive business may be going on in the innards of this device. LG has been relatively quiet on the Windows Phone front thus far, bringing such lovely oddities as the LG Spectrum with Android to the market with a whole lot more force, so this could be their play for the center of the ring. The mid-range of the smartphone world is always a great place to make a play when the top tier is overflowing with ultra-similar looking and functioning devices.

This device has been tipped separately as having a 1GHz Snapdragon and a 1GHz Scorpion processor, both of them single-core, while its front-facing VGA camera and back-facing 5 megapixel camera specs seem to have been holding up ever since inception. This device is expected to be announced inside the first quarter of 2012 – carrier remains unknown!

Classic White MacBook axed entirely

2012-02-11T15:21:00.001+05:30

Say farewell to your beloved all-white MacBook, lovers of the early 2000s, because now in addition to stoppering the white MacBook from their consumer lineup, Apple has cut off shipments to educational institutions as well. This means it’s quite likely that the supply of these devices has been drained, Apple’s manufacturers having stopped putting these machines together some time ago. Those of you with the latest batch of MacBooks without the “Pro” or the “Air” name attached, you hold on your lap or desk the last of a now halted breed!

What this means for the rest of the users out there looking to buy an Apple computer in the near future is this: MacBook may be coming back as a basic name for the low end of high. Your MacBook Pro lineup in smaller sizes very well could be the MacBooks of tomorrow while the MacBook Air keeps its lofty name. Or the opposite could be true: perhaps the “Air” moniker will float away with the White plastic of yesterday and yesteryear.

Either way, the stock is up, Apple no longer has MacBooks in plastic available to anyone officially, not even educational institutions, the last group whose name brought them the ability to continue accessing the line long after Apple stores cut them from the showroom. Now the status symbol war can continue with the white MacBook looking outdated entirely and the metal glory of the Pro and Air models looking like the only choice for the hipster elite. Watch out, collectors, you’re next!

Motorola DROID 4 Review

2012-02-11T15:20:00.000+05:30

Finally the one-two-three punches of Verizon’s 4G LTE, a dual-core processor, and an 8 megapixel camera capable of 1080p video has come to the DROID line of QWERTY keyboard-having Android devices. Those of you who are die-hard fans of the DROID line know that Verizon and Motorola have dipped in a few devices that strayed from the original power combo complete with QWERTY and may have had hard luck picking up the DROID 3 which, despite its having a decent processor and a fair but not too fantastic camera on the back, had no LTE and was released when Motorola’s user interface change-over was at a bit of a strange point. Now the QWERTY DROID line is back and stronger than ever, and if you’re not a person who minds the massiveness of the chassis here, you’re in for a treat.

Hardware

The display here is a massive 540 x 960 pixels on 4-inches of space, putting this device at 275 pixels per inch. That’s quite impressive when it comes down to it, it being not quite as rich with pixels as the Galaxy Nexus (at 316 ppi) but certainly ready to contend with the DROID RAZR whose same resolution sits on a slightly larger display, putting it at just 256 ppi. At this close range you wont notice the difference unless you’re holding these devices up next to one another, but the difference is there.

Other than that you’ve got what’s actually a slightly larger device than the DROID 3, this bulk coming from the additional plastic around the edges, seeming to have been added here for stylistic purposes instead of necessity. The device is almost exactly the same height as the previous DROID QWERTY and the keyboard is similar, but quite a bit nicer when you’ve used it for a bit. While the older DROID keyboards did seem excellent when they were first brought forth on the first couple of units, the age started to show harshly on the DROID 3. Here there’s a new amount of space and a sensor-activated light surrounding the keys.

The processor is the same one that’s in the DROID RAZR and several devices that’ve been released in the past few months, that being the Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core 1.2GHz SoC. This chip will get you where you need to go and will allow you to play essentially any game you’re hankering for on the Android Market without a hitch. Consider these Quadrant Advanced results – Total 2747, CPU: 6957, Memory: 2586, I/O: 3046, 2D: 283, 3D: 862, and note the comparatively powerful results when you consider the rest of the Android devices released with this same OMAP processor very recently – looking quite similar.

Software

Inside you’ve got your regular suite of Motorola, Google, and Verizon apps, no real surprises in the mix, and all of it comes complete with Webtop. Motorola devices released inside the last year have all had their proprietary desktop-like software installed aboard, this working through your HDMI-connected display with the device itself acting as an intermediary. If you’ve got any of the suggested docks you can turn your DROID 4 into a standalone computer with your HDTV as your monitor and a USB-connected mouse and keyboard as your controllers. Alternatively you can use the DROID 4 as a trackpad to control your cursor on the display. Check out a demonstration of how this all works in our review of the Motorola Lapdock 100.

Motorola devices are connected with a series of basic cloud-connected services such as My Music which connects you to your computer at home via the web. This and the rest of the cloud suite on the DROID 4 are connected via MotoCast, a service which connects all of your Motorola devices via an interface you download for your desktop machine at MyMotoCast.com. Also prominent in the apps drawer is an instant link to yourMOTOACTV, a device which acts as both a music player and a fitness tracker which you can attach to your arm, your wrist, or wherever else you’d like to carry it.

Camera

Motorola is back to having a decent beast of a camera here with 8 megapixels on the back along with 1080p video capabilities. Though it’s not the most perfect setup we’ve seen with such specifications, it certainly out-does its predecessor. Have a peek at some demonstrations of the DROID 4′s back-facing camera here and behold the loveliness.

Phone and Battery

The battery on this beast is a full 1785 mAh placing it right beside the original DROID RAZR in battery rating and capturing just about as much time in the wild as well. When you’re using this device for streaming video you’ll get a few hours out of it – enough time for about a full movie and a half. If you’re using it heavily throughout the day, you’ll get something like 6-8 hours. If you’re using it lightly, for email and web browsing exclusively that is, you’ll be getting 10 hours or more no problem. One charge a night should be good for most users.

Wrap-Up

The DROID 4 is the bulkiest device on the Verizon network here at its launch, yet at the same time it’s got the nicest keyboard Motorola has ever offered on a smartphone. If you’re so in love with the basic QWERTY DROID line that you’ve sworn off all other smartphones, it’s time to upgrade to this model. If you’re looking for the best Motorola device on Verizon, I’d recommend the RAZR MAXX. It doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard, but it does have a battery that’ll last you until kingdom come, and you’re working with essentially the same innards as this device otherwise.

This device certainly deserves to have a spot amongst the high-end line of Android devices at its release, but will be forgettable within a few months at the dawn of the quad-core smartphone and the start of the Ice Cream Sandwich having Androids being released in bulk closer to the middle of the year. You’ve got the option of grabbing the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung on Verizon right now as well if you want the newest Android software – DROID 4 is still stuck on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread – but that would require you to leave your beloved Motorola and go Samsung’s way, a very different beast indeed.

HP Envy Spectre coming in 15-inch version

2012-02-11T15:19:00.002+05:30

One of the more exciting ultrabooks that we spotted at CES 2012 was the Envy 14 Spectre, HP’s high-style and low-weight addition to its ENVY line. The ultrabook made a good impression thanks to is unique Gorilla Glass top, 1600×900 LCD and a compact body that crams a 14-inch screen into a size usually reserved for 13-inch laptops. DigiTimes reports that HP is showing off a 15-inch version of the Spectre in Taiwan, and that means it can’t be too long before it shows up in western markets.

Details are scarce on the 15-inch version, but aside from size it’s not likely to vary too much from the current Spectre model. The 15-inch Spectre was given a whopping MSRP of $2,200 in Taiwanese currency, but keep in mind that the exchange rate makes for a big price bump. Considering the difference between the US and Taiwanese prices of the base model of the Envy 14 Spectre, the Envy 15 Spectre would probably start at around $1,900. There’s no information on what hardware changes are being planned, but a bigger chassis would allow for more storage and discrete GPU options. At 15 inches, a full 1080p screen is not out of the question.

The Envy 14 Spectre is in pre-order status now in the United States, and starts at a price of $1399.99. Initial shipments begin next Friday, February 17th. The base model includes a Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD drive, and a 14-inch 1600×900 display. With its all-glass top and black-on-white styling, it’s a radical departure from previous Envy models, and the Beats audio and analog volume dial help make it stand out even more from the ultrabook crowd. Be sure to check out our hands-on coverage from CES 2012 for a better look.

iPad twin-tier pricing tipped to topple Android rivals

2012-02-11T15:19:00.001+05:30

Apple‘s expected third-gen iPad reveal in the first week of March could see not only the company’s latest tablet make its debut, but the start of a twin-line slate strategy ratcheting up pricing pressure on rivals. The new iPad 3 - or, indeed, iPad 2S as some rumors have indicated – is likely to feature a Retina Display and a new Apple A6 processor; however, Apple could also opt to keep the existing iPad 2 on sale alongside the reworked model, offering a more affordable entry point for users.

Although Apple was historically known for its premium pricing, rival manufacturers and carriers offering Android tablets have struggled to match or significantly undercut the iPad’s sticker price. It’s unclear at this stage whether Apple will be forced to raise the cost of the iPad 3/2S because of the new technologies involved, but even if it does, the company could salve the pain by slashing the price of the existing model.

Apple has shown it is willing to play the long game on building out its product range. Although rumors of an “iPhone mini” have persisted almost as long as the original iPhone speculation itself, Apple has preferred to wait until its existing line has matured to the point where production costs allow for free-on-contract pricing. The launch of the iPhone 4S saw a three model smartphone line-up for the first time, the aging iPhone 3GS kept on as the “new” entry-level model while the superseded iPhone 4 grabbed the mid-tier spot.

That sort of strategy could well work for the iPad, especially given the tablet – unlike its smartphone counterpart – isn’t generally subsidized by carriers. Previous leaks from iPad 2 display suppliers have lent weight to the idea that Apple will maintain production of the second-gen model, and a more affordable device – say, from $399 or even less – would significantly increase pressure on any new tablets launched at MWC 2012.