Thursday, May 30, 2013

LoJack for Android to be embedded in Samsung Galaxy S4's firmware

LoJack for Android to be embedded in Samsung Galaxy S4's firmware data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20579667' !== '') ? 'bsd:20579667' : ''; var postID = '20579667'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"cellphones",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"melissa-grey", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});LoJack for Android to be embedded in Samsung Galaxy S4's firmware MobileBypostedMay 22nd, 2013 at 11:37 AM 0

Since the Galaxy S4's launch, Samsung's been eager to make security one of the device's stronger selling points. Through its partnership with Absolute Software, makers of LoJack for Laptops, Samsung will soon embed a theft recovery system right into the the phone's firmware. LoJack for Android smartphones, launching exclusively on the Galaxy S4, joins SAFE for Knox in Samsung's quest to develop "the most comprehensive mobile security solution" on the market. While there are plenty of apps that can locate misplaced phones via GPS and wipe their contents, the hope of retrieving a stolen phone is slim to none. In addition to content-clearing software, LoJack will offer a service in which "recovery specialists" attempt to return lost phones to their owners. There's no guarantee that said recovery specialists will be able to successfully track down thieves and reclaim stolen devices, but it's nice to dream. Subscriptions for LoJack for Android will start at $29.99 a year, though there's no official word yet on a release date.

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Watch Barbara Walters Announce Her 2014 Retirement on 'The View'

Barbara-walters Bahjournalist-5e1f0b4ff8 By Brian Anthony Hernandez2013-05-13 17:14:14 UTC

Veteran TV journalist Barbara Walters announced her retirement Monday on The View, revealing that her more than 50-year run on television will end in the summer of 2014.

Walters, whose career started on the Today Show in 1961, teased the news late Sunday on Twitter in tweet that read, "Big news — and I want to tell you first."

"A year from now I plan to retire from appearing on television at all. It has a been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating and occasionally bumpy ride," Walters said during her retirement segment.

"I wouldn't change a thing. I'm perfectly healthy. This is my decision."

"I've been thinking about it for a long time and this is what I want to do ... My cup runneth over. I thank you, thank you, thank you."

ABC News says Walters' regular duties will continue throughout 2013 and the first half of next year, including reporting for ABC News, appearing on The View and anchoring a "20 Years of 10 Most Fascinating People" special in December, an Oscars special, and a career retrospective.

"There’s only one Barbara Walters," ABC News President Ben Sherwood said in an emailed statement. "And we look forward to making her final year on television as remarkable, path-breaking and news-making as Barbara herself. Barbara will always have a home at ABC News and we look forward to a year befitting her brilliant career, filled with exclusive interviews, great adventures and indelible memories."

Image and video courtesy of ABC News; homepage image Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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A Terrifying Upgrade: Doctor Who's Cybermen Get a New Look

New-cybermenMe-yay By Pete Pachal2013-05-11 13:39:15 -0300

If Doctor Who has anything to say about the dark side of technology, the show speaks loudest through its recurring cybernetic monsters, the Cybermen. Once human, the Cybermen have replaced their body parts with mechanical components. The only exception is the brain, which undergoes a slight modification: all emotions are purged.

They call it "upgrading."

The Cybermen were persistent villains in the classic series after they first debuted in 1966. They returned many times to threaten the Doctor, but while their menace was dependable, their fashion sense wasn't. It seemed every Cybermen story featured a new design for the creatures, with only a couple of consistent emblems — handlebars on the sides of their heads and an almost comically blank face — to make them recognizable.

Not that the costume changes are necessarily a negative. They give viewers something new to see, and a new look can represent a rebirth — a fresh take on an old idea. And after all, anything mechanical can be improved with engineering, so it would make sense that the Cybermen would augment themselves over time.

Within the new series, however, the Cybermen have been stubbornly uniform since they were re-launched in 2006: In every story they're shown as bulky steel men, each footstep resulting in a loud clank. While the look is certainly effective at depicting the Cybermen as formidable soldiers, why doesn't a creature that prides itself on upgrading people ever upgrade itself?

Doctor Who fans will get their answer in Saturday's "Nightmare in Silver" episode on BBC America, which finally updates the Cybermen design for the first time in the new series. The story is penned by none other than renowned science fiction and fantasy author Neil Gaiman, who wrote the story determined to re-invent the Cybermen.

"My phone doesn't look anything like what it looked like five years ago," Gaiman said in a teleconference with reporters. "My computer looks nothing like it looked like 15 years ago. Cybermen talk about upgrading — let's watch them upgrade."

Like a software update for your smartphone, the Cybermen's upgrade brings with it new abilities. And, according to Gaiman, a new level of threat. (Warning: minor spoilers ahead.)

"What would an upgraded Cyberman do?" he asks. "Well, one of the things it would do is move pretty fast. I also love the idea of a Cyberman that was essentially so dangerous that if you find one on your planet, you blow up the planet."

Gaiman says Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat gave him a simple task: making the Cybermen scary again. While his story shows how powerful the new Cybermen can be, the essence of their terror stems from a simple fact: They're us.

The idea of a person not just enhanced, but dominated by technology is merely the logical end point of real-world ideas such as Oscar Pistorius' carbon-fiber legs and connected gadgets like Google Glass.

"The Cybermen started with Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis looking at things that were happening: heart transplants and artificial limbs," Gaiman says. "And they did that wonderful science-fictional thing by asking: Where does it go? How many pieces can you replace in a person and still be a person?"

Wherever that line is, the Cybermen are way over it. Now that Gaiman has re-launched the warrior cyborgs as a powerful villain for the series, he hopes that future writers run with the (steel) ball.

"Somebody else can come and take these Cybermen — we have a new costume, a new look, something much, much, much more dangerous. If one of these things shows up people will be much more worried than the old 'cyber-stomp' Cybermen."

Let us know in the comments what you think of the new-look Cybermen.

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Square Cash appears on invite-only site, lets you send money with an email

Square Cash appears on invite-only site, lets you send money with an email data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20576654' !== '') ? 'bsd:20576654' : ''; var postID = '20576654'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"internet",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"zach-honig", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("10000057",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Square Cash appears on invite-only site, lets you send money with an emailBypostedMay 20th, 2013 at 3:33 PM 0

Square Cash appears on inviteonly site, lets you send money with an email

Square's been venturing beyond those tiny credit card swipers as of late. Last week, the company introduced its nifty $299 Stand POS system for iOS, and now it appears to be branching out to individuals, with a to-be-announced service called Square Cash. There's not much info to share at this point -- TechCrunch recently discovered a dedicated landing page for the new service, which looks to be invite only at this point. There does seem to be an option to request an invitation, but the button isn't properly linked, so we weren't able to make our way to the proper form in order to take a closer look.

A handful of help articles do shed some light on the service, though. To send money, you'll simply send an email to your recipient with the dollar amount in the subject line and "pay@square.com" in the cc field. Once your friend or associate receives the email, they'll type in the debit card account number of their choosing and Square will fund the associated checking account within 48 hours. Each payment costs just 50 cents to send, and there's no cost to receive -- it's not quite clear whether or not you can use a credit card to fund the transfer, but with fees of less than $1, we imagine you'll need to use a checking account. Square has yet to formally introduce the service, but we're guessing an announcement will be coming soon.

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Adobe's Move to the Cloud Incites Anger and Other Top Comments

Speech-bubblegood Jessica-fee By Jessica Fee2013-05-13 18:50:09 UTC

In this week's Top Comments, we've focused in on the controversial discussion over Adobe's recent subscription pricing announcement. Does the new subscription-based model benefit freelancers, hobbyists, or professionals? When we first posted the story on our Facebook page, the general reaction to the news was extremely negative. Eventually, however, those who have been using the Creative Cloud Suite began to speak up and explained that the benefits actually outweigh the negatives. Adobe offers a tiered payment plan, and with the cloud, you automatically receive any updates as soon as they're released. Do you think the new subscription model is an improvement, or a regression, for Adobe's Creative Suite?

SEE ALSO: Snapheal Is an Inexpensive Alternative to Photoshop

Our second most-buzzed about story this week was about Bill Gates' take on innovation, the Apple iPad, and the Windows tablet. In the comments section, our readers debated the necessity of Windows on an iPad; should tablets have all of the same functions as laptops, or do they serve a strict no-work, all-play function?

Finally, Robin Williams made the news this week when he tweeted out a picture of himself and Kim Kardashian side by side wearing strangely similar floral frocks. Kardashian was one of the celebrities at The Met's punk-themed gala this week and is rumored to be due sometime in June. Was Williams' tweet too low a blow at the mom-to-be, or was it funny enough to pass by without an apology?

Image via iStockphoto, petekarici

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Logitech unveils $60 wired iPad keyboard built for classroom abuse

Logitech unveils $60 wired iPad keyboard built for classroom abuse data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20579428' !== '') ? 'bsd:20579428' : ''; var postID = '20579428'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"peripherals",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"steve-dent", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Logitech unveils $60 wired iPad keyboard built for classroom abuseBypostedMay 22nd, 2013 at 9:21 AM 0

Logitech releases $60 iPad keyboard wired for Lightning or 30pin connectors

Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad are nice and all, but aren't you going to need to be within a wire's-length to see the thing anyway? To that end, Logitech has announced a full-sized wired iPad keyboard targeted to classrooms with an emphasis on durability and maintenance. It has a spill-resistant design, three-year warranty and key life of over 5 million strokes, according to the company, and comes in either lightning or 30-pin versions. If you don't mind being tethered, the Lightning model will ship in August and the last-gen iPad model in November for $60 each -- but you can pre-order now at the source.

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Benevolent Is Like Kiva for the Silicon Valley's Working Poor

Benevolent Alex-fitzpatrick By Alex Fitzpatrick2013-05-13 19:52:09 UTC

Ask the average American what comes to mind when they think of Silicon Valley, and you'll often hear answers about the area's booming technology sector. Less discussed even among the technology community is the skyrocketing number of poor and homeless people who live just miles from the doorsteps of such business behemoths as Google and Amazon.

Silicon Valley's technologists are beginning to pay close attention to the problem, which is evidenced by a 20% rise in homelessness over the last two years, a dramatic increase in food stamp participation and a drop in average income for minority groups.

Online crowdfunding platform Benevolent may present one possible solution as it moves into San Jose, Calif., thanks to a $200,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Benevolent applies a Kiva-style model to aiding people's escape from poverty: Those in critical need of a one-time purchase to continue making money, such as a new set of tools or a work uniform, can apply for a crowdfunded donation from Benevolent's users through a local non-profit. Benevolent sends donations as grants to the non-profit to help ensure the money is used for its intended purpose by approved recipients.

Like Kiva, recipients have profile pages that list their needs and their goals, personalizing the giving experience. Unlike Kiva, the money is a donation rather than a microloan — recipients of Benevolent's benevolence aren't expected to repay the site's users.

While Benevolent founder Megan Kashner is a 20-year social worker rather than a Silicon Valley insider, she told Mashable the Knight Foundation "introduced" Benevolent to "the challenges faced by the Silicon Valley area."

"The Knight Foundation has a specific focus on certain communities around the country and Sillicon Valley is one of them," said Kashner.

Kashner acknowledges small donations are rarely "the singular thing that moves a family from poverty to sustainability." Rather, she views Benevolent's role as complimenting hard work and whatever government assistance a Benevolent funds recipient receives.

"There is often one thing that none of us in any of the social service agencies, workforce development programs or schools have at our disposal which is that liquid cash, if you will, to say, 'oh, we can help you get your car fixed to help you continue to work at this job we helped you get,' or 'oh yes, we can help you with this security deposit now that you have left domestic violence and you're ready to move forward,'" said Kashner.

"So it's that this particular hurdle is often the stumbling block, it's never the single thing that helps somebody escape poverty, but it is often this little thing that stops them from being able to complete their goals or their dreams," she said.

Kashner added that Silicon Valley as a whole is in the "early stages of figuring out how they want to be a part of the solution" to the area's poverty problem. She agues that the biggest technology companies' isolation from their surrounding communities explains why they've been sluggish to address the issue.

"What's interesting about Silicon Valley is that many of the biggest tech firms, people come into work during the day, they come in by train, they come in by bus, they are provided with the opportunity to do everything they need to do throughout the day at work right there on the corporate campus," said Kashner. "So they can eat, they can exercise, they can get their dry cleaning done, they can do so many things right there on the campus, that because of that positive work environment it actually means that people are less likely to step out off the campus and into the community and interact with and experience what's going on around them."

"And there's no blame to that, there's nothing negative about that, until you start to look at these divergences and it means you need particularly creative solutions rather than the way that companies usually exist within the community, this is going to require some different and more creative solutions," she added.

Should technologists be more involved with helping Silicon Valley's working poor? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image via David McNew/Getty Images

Topics: crowdfunding, Silicon Valley, Social Good, U.S., US & World if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"us-world","content_type":"article","top_channel":"us-world","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","age":"0","pub_day":13,"pub_month":5,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"05/13/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"Default","topics":"crowdfunding,Silicon Valley,Social Good,Uncategorized,U.S.,US & World"}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/05/13/benevolent/"],["image_src","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzEzLzJkL2JlbmV2b2xlbnQuOTljOWQuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNzIweDcyMCMKZQlqcGc/7b50c111/583/benevolent.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/05/13/benevolent/"],["og:title","Benevolent Is Like Kiva for the Silicon Valley's Working Poor"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:description","Benevolent, a donations crowdfunding platform, is turning its attention to the Silicon Valley's working poor."],["og:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzEzLzJkL2JlbmV2b2xlbnQuOTljOWQuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNzIweDcyMCMKZQlqcGc/7b50c111/583/benevolent.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-05-13T19:52:09Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-05-13T21:05:03Z"]],"meta_name":[["description","Benevolent, a donations crowdfunding platform, is turning its attention to the Silicon Valley's working poor."],["keywords",["silicon-valley","social-good","crowdfunding","uncategorized","us-world","us"]],["twitter:title","Benevolent Is Like Kiva for the Silicon Valley's Working Poor"],["twitter:description","Ask the average American what comes to mind when they think of Silicon Valley, and you'll often hear answers about the area's booming technology sector. Less discussed even among the technology commun..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzEzLzJkL2JlbmV2b2xlbnQuOTljOWQuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNTYweDc1MAplCWpwZw/23b7635f/583/benevolent.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/05/13/benevolent/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"]],"short_url":[["short_url","http://on.mash.to/17lwrhD"]]};

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Multiple accounts can use a single Xbox Live subscription on the One

Multiple accounts can use a single Xbox Live subscription on the One data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20579570' !== '') ? 'bsd:20579570' : ''; var postID = '20579570'; var modalMNo = '93325862', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"gaming",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"jamie-rigg", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14c",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93325862", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93325870", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Multiple accounts can use a single Xbox Live subscription on the OneBypostedMay 22nd, 2013 at 10:16 AM 0

Multiple accounts can use a single Xbox Live membership on the One

If you joined us for the Xbox One reveal yesterday, you'll probably know that amidst all the excitement, we learned that a single Xbox Live Gold membership will cover both the 360 and the next-gen console. Good stuff -- no extra expenditure, subscription sign-ups or other irritations. But, it gets even better, as a couple of Microsoft bigwigs told Polygon that Live memberships can also used by multiple profiles. That means several accounts can be created on one console, for discrete friends lists, personal Home screens and the like, but they'll all be able to feed off the same subscription. We're not sure how this'll work exactly, but it already sounds better than the Gamertag-specific membership model on the 360, which is responsible for far too many amazing kill stats being lost to the dreaded "Guest" account.

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Vine User Inks Deal With 'Peanuts' Gang

Peanuts-on-vine Bahjournalist-5e1f0b4ff8 By Brian Anthony Hernandez2013-05-13 22:19:40 UTC

Khoa Phan's stop-motion animations on Vine have caught the attention of Peanuts Worldwide, the new owners of the popular Peanuts comic strips starring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends.

In a deal announced Monday, Phan will create 12 Vines using Twitter's six-second video service for Peanuts Worldwide. The Vines will focus on specific themes: Snoopy, his dog house, Linus’s blanket, Lucy’s psychiatry booth, Schroeder’s music, Woodstock, football, baseball, the Great Pumpkin, the kite-eating tree — and of course, the Little-Red-Haired Girl.

"The Khoa Phan-Vine deal is part of a larger strategy we’ve had in place for Peanuts for several years — which is to continue to make Snoopy relevant with the young and hip crowd," Cory Cole, social media director for Peanuts, told Mashable. "The brand really lends itself to social media with its simplicity and ability to emote."

Vine will play a part in the multiplatform social media blitz for the brands' still-untitled 3D animated movie based on Charles Schulz's comic strip. The movie is slated to hit theaters in 2015.

Here are some Vines from Phan, who tends to use construction paper to tell stories:

The Tribeca Film Festival picked these two Phan creations as finalists in its #6SecFilms contest (winners were announced in April):

Phan, 23, got a call from Peanuts Worldwide after Mashable profiled him as a standout user. Cole confirmed Peanuts Worldwide learned about Phan from the Mashable article.

"I never thought I'd be working with Peanuts in any way," Phan says. "I've always read the comics and watched the TV specials, and I'm extremely excited for this opportunity. I hope I'll make Snoopy and the gang proud with my work."

Peanuts Worldwide has already found success bringing Peanuts to the social-media generation. The brand has 1.8 million Facebook fans and has had some fun with its @Snoopy and @Woodstock Twitter accounts. The brands' @Snoopygrams Instagram account has seen "rapid growth," swelling to more than 40,000 followers, too.

"Additionally, we've conducted Twitter parties with celebrity fans, and hosted virtual treasure hunts at Comic Con, resulting in worldwide trending topics," Cole said. "We also recently launched a sticker pack on Path."

"The four-panel strips are the perfect bite-sized format for social media applications like Vine," Cole added.

No date has been set for the release of the Vines.

Image courtesy of Peanuts Worldwide

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'Doctor Who' Debacle: Can You Avoid Spoilers?

Doctorname Chris-taylor-de1238cf88 By Chris Taylor2013-05-13 19:00:00 UTC

In the history of spoiler alerts, there's never been anything quite like this.

Over the weekend, it emerged that some U.S. fans of the popular BBC time travel show, Doctor Who, had been sent their preordered copies of the Season 7 Blu-Ray early. How early? Three weeks ahead of schedule, and prior to the season finale actually being screened on both sides of the Atlantic (which happens Saturday).

"BBC Worldwide is currently investigating how this has happened," a spokesperson for the corporation told Mashable. It appears to have been a slip-up in BBC America's warehouses, where the DVDs have been ready to roll for weeks. (Most U.S. TV shows tend to wait longer to release their DVDs.)

Even worse for the show, the season finale is one of the most anticipated in its 40-year history. It promises to reveal something fans have never known: the Doctor's name.

The show's official account quickly issued a desparate Twitter plea, as did the BBC head of branding for the show, Edward Russell:

But appeals to the better angels of the Internet's nature apparently weren't enough. So showrunner Steven Moffat promised something special for fans if they kept quiet: a video featuring the two most recent actors to play the Doctor, Matt Smith and David Tennant.

What wasn't clear was how that offer would work. Every Doctor Who fan in the world would have to keep quiet? That appears to have already been broken. Several Doctor Who-themed Tumblrs have already posted GIFs from the upcoming show — with spoiler-filed captions. (Don't worry, we won't link to them.)

SEE ALSO: 17-year-old Builds App to Prevent TV Spoilers on Twitter

Spoilers are the bane of our high-tech modern geek entertainment lifestyle. We like to time-shift our shows and watch them when we want; we also want to make the show social and watch along with friends on Twitter. The two are rarely compatible.

Even if you solve that problem (with an app like this), you still have the problem of the Internet itself. It's the cradle of fan culture, but it's also the place where you'll find movies and TV shows leaking like a sieve.

SEE ALSO: Doctor Who Explained in 25 GIFs

As the world's smartest and most self-aware sci-fi show, Doctor Who was naturally ahead of the curve. Three years ago, the time-traveling Doctor ran into his erstwhile wife, River, who has seen much of his future. "Spoilers, sweetie," she says when he asks about it. It became a catchphrase.

So will the show be able to keep a lid on this leak? Will its instant distribution of DVDs — which appear to be stacked up in warehouses already awaiting the end of the season — turn out to be a step too far? And more importantly, will Who fans be able to avoid all evil corners of the Internet until Sunday?

We'd tell you the answers, but: spoilers, sweetie.

What's your worst encounter with a spoiler? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of BBC Worldwide

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Tumblr updates iOS app to match redesigned Android interface

Tumblr updates iOS app to match redesigned Android interface data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20576603' !== '') ? 'bsd:20576603' : ''; var postID = '20576603'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"software",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"zach-honig", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("10000057",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Tumblr updates iOS app to match redesigned Android interfaceBypostedMay 20th, 2013 at 3:23 PM 0

Tumblr updates iOS app to match redesigned Android interface

Today's definitely a big day for Tumblr: there's a refreshed iOS app in the iTunes Store! And, well, a bit of other news, too. But you'll hear plenty more about that later -- for now, it's all about mobile. The blogging platform just updated its application for iPad and iPhone, adding that "fancy new post type chooser" that recently made its debut on Android. The design tweak enables one-click access to a variety of post tools, letting you submit video, chats, links, quotes, photos and text, with colorful icons to match. It's yours for the downloading at the source link below.

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Biggest Solar Flares of the Year Erupt From Sun

Tariq Malik for Space.com 2013-05-13 20:33:20 UTC

A hyperactive sunspot on the surface of the sun has fired off two of the most powerful solar flares of the year in just 24 hours, and promises to unleash more solar storms over the next several days, space weather experts say.

The active sunspot went into overdrive on Mother's Day when it erupted late Sunday night with an X-class solar flare, the strongest type of solar storm possible, NASA scientists said in an update. That first eruption registered as an X1.7-class event on the space weather scale, and was followed midday Monday by an even more powerful X2.8 solar flare, which is the third-strongest solar storm in recent years.

You can see a video of the huge solar flares together here as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and other spacecraft.

The Mother's Day solar flare sent a super-hot wave of solar plasma, called a coronal mass ejection, hurtling through space at about 2.6 million mph (4.3 million km/h). The solar eruption was not aimed at Earth, so should pose no threat to satellites and astronauts in orbit, NASA officials said.

The solar storm could deliver a glancing blow to NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope and sun-watching Stereo-B spacecraft, according to NASA's update.

"If warranted, operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the instruments from solar material," NASA officials explained in a statement. "There is some particle radiation associated with this event, which is what can concern operators of interplanetary spacecraft since the particles can trip computer electronics on board."

The back-to-back solar storms erupted from an active sunspot region that is just out of sight over the left side of the sun. The region has been active in recent days, spouting off two medium-strength M-class solar flares, but the two X-class solar storms are its most powerful events yet.

The region "will soon rotate into view" as seen from Earth, NASA officials said. When it does, any major solar flares and eruptions could be aimed squarely at Earth.

"Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment because the sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in 2013," NASA officials said in the update Monday.

When aimed directly at Earth, X-class solar flares can pose a serious risk to astronauts and satellites in space, and interfere with GPS and communications signals. The strongest solar storms can even affect ground-based power system infrastructure. Moderately strong solar flares can supercharge the Earth's northern lights to create spectacular aurora displays.

The sun's current space weather cycle is called Solar Cycle 24 and began in 2008. A fleet of spacecraft, including NASA's powerful Solar Dynamics Observatory, keep constant watch on the sun for signs of solar flare activity.

NASA and the Space Weather Prediction Center operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are providing updates throughout today on the recent solar flares.

Image courtesy of NASA

This article originally published at Space.com here

Topics: astronomy, NASA, Science, space, sun, U.S., US & World, World Space.com is a Mashable publishing partner that is the world's No. 1 source for news of astronomy, skywatching, space exploration, commercial spaceflight and related technologies. This article is reprinted with the publisher's permission.

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 530PM ET

It's Monday, and you know what that means; another Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you will join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:30PM. If you'll be joining us, be sure to go ahead and get ready by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then you'll be ready to participate in the live chat.


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Twitter Acquires Data Analysis Startup Lucky Sort

Twitter-lucky-post Seth-fiegerman By Seth Fiegerman2013-05-13 21:13:49 UTC

Twitter has acquired Lucky Sort, a startup that specializes in data visualization, the two companies announced Monday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Lucky Sort was founded two years ago and launched its first product called TopicWatch last February. TopicWatch let users analyze real-time trends on social media (including Twitter) as well as from other news sources. As part of the acquisition, Lucky Sort will shut down its services in the coming months.

"Our goal was to make huge document sets easier to analyze, summarize and visualize by building elegant and user friendly tools for text analysis," Noah Pepper, CEO of Lucky Sort, wrote in a blog post. Today I’m very excited to announce that our journey has entered a new phase: Lucky Sort has been acquired by Twitter!" Twitter confirmed the acquisition in a tweet.


The startup will move to San Francisco where it will join Twitter's revenue engineering department.

Twitter has acquired multiple startups in the data space in recent months, including the scalable computing company Ubalo and the social TV analytics company Bluefin Labs.

Mashable composite. Images via Twitter, Lucky Sort

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Scanadu finalizes Scout tricorder design, wants user feedback to help it get FDA approval

Scanadu Packs More Features Into Scanadu Scout™; Unveils Design For Project ScanaFlo

Company Launches Indiegogo Campaign to Begin Building the Future Global Body of Health Data

NASA Ames Research Park, Moffett Field, CA - May 22, 2013 - Scanadu, a personalized health electronics company participating in the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE, today announced it is one step closer to bringing the first medical tricorder™ to life. In addition to unveiling updates and refinements to Scanadu Scout™ and Project ScanaFlo, the company has also launched an Indiegogo campaign, inviting supporters to reserve a first-edition Scanadu Scout™ and contribute to building the future global body of health data.

"We are in awe at the enthusiasm the community has shown for the Scanadu Scout since the prototype was first revealed six months ago. We get calls and emails everyday from parents, researchers, students and body hackers anxious to be part of the first generation of consumers to truly understand their own health," said Scanadu Founder and CEO Walter de Brouwer. "We've pushed the envelope, had some key breakthroughs, and are ready to share this next iteration of the product with consumers."

Scanadu Scout is a vital sign monitor that analyzes, tracks, and trends your vitals - temperature, respiratory rate, oximetry, ECG, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and stress - in 10 seconds. With encouraging feedback from the community, partners, and regulators, and a strong push from Scanadu's engineers and researchers, the company has made three key breakthroughs:

• Multi-person scouting: Just like Spock, you can now scout someone else - an ailing parent or sick child. With this breakthrough, Scanadu made some key changes to the design. It is now circular in shape, with the sensors built into the front of the device.
• One-stop-shop healthfeed: You'll be able to collect readings from Scanadu's suite of products - including Project ScanaFlo - through a single integrated app. Seeing your comprehensive healthfeed allows for data fusion, and the potential to read more vitals such as cuffless, non-invasive blood pressure.

• Increased computational power: Scanadu has added more horsepower to the device, taking it from 8-bit (the power of an Apple II) to 32-bit (the power of a smartphone). The new device is built on Micrium, NASA's real-time operation system for SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) on the Rover Curiosity.

The company also announced updates today to Project ScanaFlo, a low-cost tool that uses the smartphone as a urine analysis reader, and unveiled the first design of the product. The small white, disposable paddle with multi-colored test strips and a QR code built into the device tests for levels of glucose, protein, leukocytes, nitrates, blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, specific gravity, and pH in urine. It will also test for pregnancy.

Scanadu has received its first batch of 6,000 paddles and is ready to begin clinical trials. The company anticipates submitting a 510(k) application to FDA in the beginning of July 2013.

"Today's urine tests are really hard to use and the results are not easy to interpret," said Aaron Rowe, research director at Scanadu. "Scanaflo will make it simple for pregnant women to monitor themselves for complications between appointments with their doctor."

Lastly, starting today, supporters can reserve a first-edition Scanadu Scout on Indiegogo and be part of the exploratory community bringing to life the vision of making this the last generation to know so little about our health. As a participant in the Indiegogo campaign, supporters will be able to take part in a usability study and provide feedback on feasibility, usability, and consumer friendliness that will be a valuable part of Scanadu's road to FDA.

The 30-day campaign will offer a variety of perks including regular updates from Scanadu, a limited edition Scanadu Scout, visits to NASA to spend the day as a citizen astronaut for a space medicine workshop, and a tour of NASA Ames Research Park. Scanadu will offer an early bird special of $149 for the device to the first 1,000 participants. Additional units will be made available at the anticipated retail price of $199. Additionally, two ScanaFlo paddles be included with each Scanadu Scout, which is expected to ship in Q1 2014. The devices on Indiegogo are not FDA approved.

STAR TREK, TRICORDER and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. used under license by the X PRIZE Foundation. Scanadu is a participant in the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE competition.

About Scanadu

Based at NASA-Ames Research Park, Scanadu is using mobile, sensor and social technology to ensure this is the last generation to know so little about our health. In November 2012, the company unveiled its product family consisting of the Scanadu Scout vital sign monitor, Project ScanaFlo urine analysis test and Project ScanaFlu saliva test. The first products look to disrupt home medicine and will be in market early 2014. Scanadu was founded by Walter de Brouwer in 2010 and is competing in the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize. For more information visit www.Scanadu.com.


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