Google And Facebook Spent Record Amounts On Lobbying In Q2 2011

It looks like both Google and Facebook spent record amounts on lobbying in the second quarter of 2011, as evidenced by the most recent disclosure reports filed in the U.S. Senate's lobbying database. Similar to last quarter, Google's lobbying spend hit an all-time high, with spending coming in at $2.06 million, a 54 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Last quarter, Google shelled out $1.48 million on lawmakers. The search giant spent a total of $5.2 million in lobbying last year, and is on pace to surpass this number in Q3 of 2011.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YbUDv0wtcBg/

Edgar Betz Antonia Koppe

Fluorescent nanosensor tattoo monitors glucose under the iPhone's glare

Unless you're a True Blood diehard, the idea of bleeding yourself intentionally shouldn't really seem all that appealing. So imagine how most diabetics feel when they're forced to prick their thumbs three times a day in the name of health. Well, soon they might not have to thanks to a nanosensor tattoo and... an iPhone? Developed by Prof. Heather Clark and her Northeastern University team, this injection of subdermal nanoparticles combines "fluorescent dye, specialized sensor molecules...and a charge-neutralizing molecule" that attach to glucose, releasing ions and altering the tat's glow in the process. The researchers had originally designed a "large boxlike" tattoo-reading device, but an apparent Apple fanboy on the team modded an iPhone case with LEDs and a filter lens to make the whole affair a bit more stylish. Next up for the team is, you guessed it, an app for that -- although this one'll focus on sodium.

Fluorescent nanosensor tattoo monitors glucose under the iPhone's glare originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Textually.org  |  sourceTechnology Review, Northeastern University Clark Lab  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/21/fluorescent-nanosensor-tattoo-monitors-glucose-under-the-iphone/

Angelika Frey Mika Bernhardt Ingeburg Liebermann Elsa Alexander Furtmann

Researchers use graphene to draw energy from flowing water, self-powered micro-robots to follow?

What can't graphene do? The wonder material's been at the heart of a stunning number of technological breakthroughs of late, and now it's adding oil exploration to its long list of achievements. A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered that the flow of good old H2O over a sheet of graphene can generate enough electricity to power "tiny sensors" used in tracking down oil deposits. The gang, led by professor Nikhil Koratkar, was able to suck 85 nanowatts of power out of a slab of graphene measuring .03 by .015 millimeters. The little sensors the researchers speak of are pumped into potential oil wells via a stream of water, and are then put to work sniffing out hydrocarbons indicative of hidden pockets of oil and natural gas. Of course, that doesn't have a whole lot of practical application for your average gadget consumer, but Koraktar sees a future filled with tiny water-powered robots and micro-submarines -- we can dig it.

Researchers use graphene to draw energy from flowing water, self-powered micro-robots to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg  |  sourceRensselaer Polytechnic Institute  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/lFQwjqO6bx8/

Sylvia Lösche Steven Walnsch Lennart Tonn Simone Temme

T-Mobile Cuts Rates, Will Let You Buy Smartphones on Layaway

T-Mobile introduced on Wednesday a new financing plan for purchasing devices over an extended period, as well as a price reduction for one of its smartphone plans. With T-Mobile’s new layaway plan, customers make an upfront down payment on a particular smartphone, with the amount varying depending on the model. Afterward, customers pay a monthly EIP [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/07/tmobile-smartphone-plan/

Claus Rehberg Tobias Leinenbach Olga Kreibich Nathalie Donnerhacke

KDDI's Mi-Look watches your elderly parents, treats them like prisoners (video)

KDDI's looking out for Japan's elderly, or putting them under house arrest -- it's hard to tell which. Hitting stores this September in the land of human-assistive tech, the Kyocera designed Mi-Look is a simplified GPS-capable, mobile-monitoring system that puts you in control of your Luddite parents. The waterproof device packs a strap-activated "I've fallen and I can't get up" buzzer and comes in an appealing shade of hospital white, all while keeping track of your folk's whereabouts. Seems innocent enough, right? Well, it's not really up to Ma and Pa to opt-out of location tracking -- the phone does it automatically, emailing a list of relatives with coordinates and distance traveled. And for that extra special Lindsay Lohan-lockdown touch, the charging port's sensor will not only count the number of times your rents pass by, it'll also answer calls automagically. Starting to feel a little bad about this? We don't blame you, but keep in mind the compassionate tech's being targeted to patients with memory loss issues. Still, we have a suspicion those with claims of a "stolen childhood" might be using this as revenge. Payback's a cellphone, apparently. Video demonstration after the break.

Continue reading KDDI's Mi-Look watches your elderly parents, treats them like prisoners (video)

KDDI's Mi-Look watches your elderly parents, treats them like prisoners (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKDDI (Translated), Au by KDDI  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/21/kddis-mi-look-watches-your-elderly-parents-treats-them-like-pr/

Maurice Giese Frederik Faulhaber Svenja Hoferichter Carola Auer

A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app

Android Honeycomb'ish smartphone Music appUpdate: Tech From 10 seems to be offline -- but we have lots of images and a hands-on review if you want to see what the new Music app is like.

In what is probably a bit of a big-G whoopsie, the folks at Tech From 10 woke up to find a new, test version of Android Market installed on their Galaxy S.

Visually, the new version is almost identical. The carousel of featured apps has been updated slightly, and apps now have a 'Content rating,' but that's it (image after the break). The interesting bit, however, is the inclusion of alpha and beta apps -- most notably, there's a new version of the Music app, which looks like a scaled-down version of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb Music app (see right).

Also available from the test Android Market is 'Google Gallery 3D New 10.2', 'Google - Camera v12' and 'Google Desk Clock 10' -- but, curiously, all of the apps refused to launch on Tech From 10's Galaxy S (Vibrant) smartphone. Are they Honeycomb apps? Or, more likely, are they destined for the next Android smartphone OS, Ice Cream?

If you want to try out the new Honeycombish Music app, Tech From 10 has made the APK available for download. You can also download the three Google apps, if you want to have a poke around.

Continue reading A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app

A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/a-sneak-peek-at-the-next-version-of-android-market-and-music-app/

Michel Rohr Hilde Baaden Hartmut Theobald Nicholas Graul

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

windows 8Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/windows-8-now-available-to-oems-via-microsoft-connect/

Nicola Kohnen Laura Ungricht Edith Berner Lea Linden

OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

ommwriter
I have a thing for full-screen text editing. I use WriteMonkey for my creative writing needs, and VIM in a full-screen PuTTY session for my Web development work. That being the case, I'm all over the monospace, dark-background, focused editing scene.

OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).

I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?

OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.

After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.

Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/ommwriter-brings-its-clean-calm-writing-interface-to-windows/

Emma Knebel Jason Randow Benjamin Schötz Johannes Liebl

tabletbuzzblog :Call of Duty: World at War Re-view

This is my favorite game of all it is one of the most recognized online games of all time is now on iPad. I nevertheless keep in mind the times when I used to play it on my playstaion and now I can bring my beloved video game where ever I want. Images are so [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/tabletbuzzblog-call-of-duty-world-at-war-re-view/

Helmut Hölzer Maurice Giese Frederik Faulhaber Svenja Hoferichter

MacBook Pros, Hit the Bench: The Air Is Gaining Muscle

If you bought a MacBook Pro last year, tough beans: It just got outflanked by its slimmer, smaller cousin, the MacBook Air. According to benchmark tests, the 2011 MacBook Air outperforms every 2010 MacBook Pro. Laptop magazine reports that the 13-inch Air had a performance boost of 100 percent over last year’s Air, scoring 5,860 on the [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/07/macbook-air-benchmarks/

Nicholas Graul Malin Hock Helmut Hölzer Maurice Giese