Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android Smartphone Review

Smartphones with slide out keyboards are not unusual. But the same can’t be said about a smartphone with a slide out gaming controller. The Sony Xperia PLAY (aka the Playstation Phone) from Sony Ericsson and Verizon Wireless is an Android powered smartphone for those of you that love to play games but aren’t so thrilled [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/06/14/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-android-smartphone-review/

Arne Koller Fiona Brandenburg Franziska Spanier Erna Van den Hout

Apple Now Selling Unlocked iPhones, Yay?

Anybody looking to get an iPhone 4 with T-Mobile? Well now you can because Apple has unlocked iPhones for sale. Now unlocked iPhone 4s were floating around the internet for a while but never could you order one from Apple themselves, until now. If you have the scratch, you can order  either Black or White [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/06/14/apple-now-selling-unlocked-iphones-yay/

Hartmut Theobald Nicholas Graul Malin Hock Helmut Hölzer

Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men

The social network Cloud Girlfriend
Cloud Girlfriend, despite what it sounds like, doesn't really have anything to do with cloud computing. Rather, it uses a cloud of women to pose as your girlfriend on Facebook, or your favorite social network of choice. The service is scheduled to launch 'soon,' and there's no indication of how much it will cost.

With the tagline 'The easiest way to get a girlfriend is to already have one,' Cloud Girlfriend promises to be a very interesting startup indeed. The brains of the operation, David Fuhriman, speaking to CNET, says it's all about fulfilling Maslow's hierarchy of needs. "CloudGirlfriend.com can fulfill Maslow's higher needs, even though the users know that the interaction is virtual. They will interact with a real person and see real profile images of the girl with whom they interact. This interaction can build confidence and esteem as well as provide real training experiences in navigating a friendship and a relationship."

Our concern, of course, is that it's very nearly April 1. We're also worried by the fact that Fuhriman has a name that sounds ominously like a social subculture that we've grown strangely attracted to here in the Download Squad bunker.

Finally, just stop and think about it for a second. Because your cloud girlfriend will be entirely virtual, she could be based anywhere. She could be underage -- or overage -- or she might be someone who you know in real life. She could even be a relative of yours, and you'd never know.

Let's not forget this is the Internet we're talking about, folks. Worst case scenario, she could turn out to be a hairy, male truck driver from Texas. Such as... your dad, perhaps?

Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/cloud-girlfriend-will-use-an-army-of-females-to-please-lonely-me/

Heinrich Peller Viktoria Barz Emma Sauter Rosemarie Ramsauer

Transfer Open Apps Between a Computer and a Smartphone By Taking a Picture [Video]

This happens to me a lot: I'm doing something on my computer but want it on my phone too. It's such a hassle re-typing it! This new method of transferring info is as easy as taking a picture. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-C9tFAWPt30/transfer-open-apps-between-a-computer-and-a-smartphone-by-taking-a-picture

Oliver Büdenbender Christa Eymann Ingrid Schur Emily Trautmann

Don't tell us where you're going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video)

That cute little bugger above certainly looks innocent enough, but it might have been spreading some pretty detailed gossip behind your back. Leaf-driver Casey Halverson was playing around with the RSS reader in his Carwings system when he discovered that it wasn't just collecting feeds from RSS servers, it was also telling those servers his car's current location, speed, heading and even the destination he'd set in the sat nav. Strangely, Halverson's undercover tattletale appears to have halted its indiscretions after he posted the discovery on his blog, but we're surmising there's still hundreds of server logs up and down the country that prove it really happened, not to mention his video after the break. Cue Rockwell, fade to black.

Continue reading Don't tell us where you're going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video)

Don't tell us where you're going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/16/dont-tell-us-where-youre-going-nissan-leaf-driver-we-already/

Malin Hock Helmut Hölzer Maurice Giese Frederik Faulhaber

HTC Flip-Flops on Android Update for Desire Smartphone

Smartphone hardware manufacturer HTC is having trouble making up its mind. On Tuesday, HTC quietly posted to its Facebook page that owners of its Desire smartphone would not receive the latest Android software update, “Gingerbread.” The company claimed a memory issue that conflicted with its customized user interface, Sense 3.0. Less than 24 hours later, [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/06/htc-sense-desire-update/

Kerstin Klos Dieter Schreiter Monika Kley Heidemarie Frick

Microsoft Launches Kinect SDK For Windows

Microsoft has just announced a new SDK for Windows that allows programmers to take input from the Kinect and use it in their homebrew projects. This will allow users to create games, UIs, and apps with Kinect's 3D sensing technology including 3D scanning, audio tracking, and the creation of 3D wireframes in real time.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aSmUO9TFrKM/

Jason Randow Benjamin Schötz Johannes Liebl Arne Koller

Hang Your Keys Almost Anywhere With Hookeychain

Sometimes it’s hard being a gadget lover.  Here at The Gadgeteer, we’ve told you about and/or reviewed a ton of keychain tools over the years, and I’d be lying if I told you that for at least half of them, I’ve found myself flush with new-gadget-frenzy, my cursor hovering over the “buy” button, only to [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/06/15/hang-your-keys-almost-anywhere-with-hookeychain/

Kristin Gehrmann Annette Lechner Margarethe Lachner Lutz Yalcin

California stops automatic phone book delivery following pressure from Verizon

We've long known paper books are on the decline, but now we're seeing the first death knell for the fattest of them all. California's public utilities commission has ruled that it will no longer deliver doorstops residential phone books unless folks specifically ask for it -- a move that's expected to prevent 1,870 tons of material from entering the state's waste stream. Californians, like everyone else, can search the White Pages online, but they'll still be able to request a paper copy or CD-ROM if they're feeling old-fashioned. For now, though, the state will continue to ship government White Pages and the Yellow Pages for local business listings (in a post-Yelp world, that seems antiquated). What's especially fascinating about all this is that the pressure to cease automatic phone book deliveries came from none other than Verizon, which mounted a case back in October, citing the enormous human and natural resources required to get updated phone books into people's hands each year. Of course, the estimated 1,870 tons of averted waste is a fraction of the 660,000 tons BanthePhoneBook.org says these tomes create every year, but here's hoping it'll be enough to make other states take note.

California stops automatic phone book delivery following pressure from Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/gzF5U3RHQko/

Dieter Schreiter Monika Kley Heidemarie Frick Maike Beetz

March 31 is World Backup Day 2011

World Backup Day 2011
Those benevolent armchair philanthropist Redditors are at it again! Four days ago a 'self' post extolling the potential virtues of a Backup Day exploded with 2500 upvotes and 1000 comments -- and now World Backup Day 2011 is actually happening.

On March 31, as part of the global data-saving initiative, you are encouraged to back up all of your cherished photos and videos, and important documents. If you've ever had a hard disk fail, and not had a backup to fall back on, you'll know that it's a bit like losing a sizable fragment of your soul. If you've never backed up your important files -- or if you only back up sporadically -- do it on World Backup Day!

It's not hard to back up your data, either. A 2TB drive costs only a fistful of dollars, and it takes just a few minutes to set SyncToy for Windows, or Time Machine for Mac, to mirror your data every night. If you prefer a cloud-based solution, there's always SugarSync and Dropbox. Finally, don't forget that Bundlelytic has a charity giveaway for three excellent data-backup-and-recovery tools -- $160 of software for only $25, and 100% of the proceeds to go the Japanese Red Cross.

For even more backup options, for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, check our list of 13 great backup programs.

March 31 is World Backup Day 2011 originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/march-31-is-world-backup-day-2011/

Kerstin Klos Dieter Schreiter Monika Kley Heidemarie Frick