Volunteer scientists discover two possible planets, tell NASA it missed a spot

Proving it's not all about edu-mah-cation, a group of casual star-gazers has stumbled upon what might well be a pair of new planets. Following on from gamers' success with complicated medical puzzles, an army of 40,000 online volunteer astronomy nerds signed up to the Planet Hunters project to help mine through NASA data. One of the possible planets they discovered is roughly two and a half times the size of Earth, while the other a whopping eight times bigger than this revolving ball of blue and green we call home. The project uses data from NASA's Keppler telescope, which registers fluctuations in brightness as objects pass in front of distant stars -- a setup that's helped scientists discover 1,235 potential alien planets in its first four months. Obviously, though, the technology isn't perfect, which is where the project's muggle volunteers (assisted by Oxford and University of Chicago researchers) come in. They've been combing through NASA's readings and are now sifting through the next 90 days of Keppler observations.

[Image credit: NASA]

Volunteer scientists discover two possible planets, tell NASA it missed a spot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/22/volunteer-scientists-discover-two-possible-planets-tell-nasa-it/

Hanna Wohlrab Henrik Brenner Karla Reusch Wilhelm Klassen

Pantech Breakout now available to bring LTE to the light-walleted

An LTE handset on Verizon's network that doesn't feature a 4.3-inch display or a price tag that starts with a two or a three? Why, that would be the Pantech Breakout. The latest 4G phone on Big Red has finally been welcomed into the fold, available and ready to persuade more people to experience blazing-fast mobile broadband without frantically digging themselves out of debt. To recap, the Breakout features Android 2.3, a 1GHz single-core CPU and 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera accompanied by a VGA front-facing cam and 720p HD video capture, a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) TFT LCD and a 1,500mAh juicepack. Worth a Benjamin? You make the call.

Pantech Breakout now available to bring LTE to the light-walleted originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVerizon Wireless  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MXsP1X201fo/

Gabriela Schnee Rita Imhof Angelika Frey Mika Bernhardt

VMware adds Mozy to its cloud and virtualization empire

mozy vmware
Mozy is one of the most popular cloud backup services around, with more than one million users storing around 70 petabytes of data. Its popularity apparently put it on the acquisition radar of VMware -- which has now made Mozy part of its virtualization empire.

VMware's official blog post makes it clear that the company wasn't so much interested in Mozy as a consumer offering. Rather, it's the inner workings of Mozy which piqued VMware's curiosity. CTO Steve Herrod says, "Over the past 5 years, Mozy has built one of the best examples of a globally distributed, large-scale cloud offering." He adds that the move will allow VMware to "further ramp our own cloud-related learning and accelerate new IP, scale, and capabilities" of its existing offerings.

Existing Mozy customers don't need to worry, of course. VMware has pledged to continue running Mozy's service without interruption.

VMware adds Mozy to its cloud and virtualization empire originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/vmware-takes-over-operation-of-mozy/

Moritz Beller Gabriela Prell Sylvia Lösche Steven Walnsch

The Military's New Mega Spy-Blimp Struggling to Find Enough Helium [Military]

Yes, the world's helium supply is slowly running out, and as sad as it will be to see thousands of tear-stained cheeks of balloonless birthday boys and girls, the military is already feeling the sting. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/A8kHf0ZBNEU/the-militarys-new-mega-spy+blimp-struggling-to-find-enough-helium

Rosemarie Ramsauer Jörn Domenighini Marion Dallmeyer Hanna Wohlrab

HTC strikes Dropbox deal, will offer 5GB free on Sense 3.5 phones

HTC has now launched itself into the clouds, confirming that its latest Android phones will get an extra 3GB of storage with Dropbox. According to Pocket-Lint, the extra space will extend to all HTC devices running Sense 3.5, which at the moment means it's limited to the forthcoming HTC Rhyme. We probably won't see the Dropbox deal extend to HTC's Windows Phones though -- Microsoft reckons it has the whole file-syncing thing covered.

HTC strikes Dropbox deal, will offer 5GB free on Sense 3.5 phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/TLLM-6kx-ks/

Arno Zimmerling Jacqueline Kiesel Michel Rohr Hilde Baaden

Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look

mitoza
While not a game per se, I found Mitoza intriguing enough to spend quite some time with it. You start off with a seed, and are then presented with two choices: you can either click a flower pot, or click a cute little birdie.

If you click the flower pot, a flower pot appears and the seed is planted inside. You're then presented with two further choices -- a water can or a bottle of fertilizer. Each choice you make causes your creation to morph, and presents you with two other choices.

There's no winning or losing, really. Each "game" usually lasts around four or five choices, at which point the plant/animal dies in some creative (but not too gruesome) way. At this point you instantly start over with a new seed.

The graphics are captivating; the whole thing has a cinematic feel to it, with a bit of artificial camera shake added for style.

All in all, it's a fun, peaceful way to spend a few minutes, and it might even make you think a little bit while you're at it.

Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/mitoza-is-a-fun-freaky-web-toy-with-an-artistic-look/

Emma Knebel Jason Randow Benjamin Schötz

Inside Nvidia's Tegra 3 CPU and Its Secret Fifth Core [Guts]

There's a not-so-dirty little secret about NVIDIA's upcoming Tegra 3 platform (which will soon find a home in plenty of mobile devices): the quad-core processor contained within has a fifth core for less intensive tasks. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/cMKtYxLrKro/inside-nvidias-tegra-3-cpu-and-its-secret-fifth-core

Hartmut Theobald Nicholas Graul Malin Hock Helmut Hölzer

HTC Rhyme preorders said to begin September 22, Plum-colored exclusive at Target? (updated)

Ahead of HTC's big announcement, a tipster has leaked this screen-grab from Target Mobile showing the HTC Rhyme (formerly the Bliss), ready for eager fans to pre-order from September 22nd -- apparently the official launch date. Target Mobile looks to have exclusive rights on a plum-colored version of the Verizon handset, previously seen in white and green. The leak also adds some early details on the rumored charm notifier, which lights up to announce incoming calls and messages. It appears to connect to the headphone jack and will apparently work "outside of clothing." In-ear buds appear to be included and, while it's still unclear whether these will also be Beats Audio offerings, it certainly would be name-appropriate. Handset details sound pretty concrete, seemingly confirmed by another leak at Unwired View, with a 3.7-inch WVGA Super LCD screen (matching that on the HTC Desire S), Android Gingerbread and a rear-facing five megapixel camera. According to the leaks -- and even the official-looking renders -- it will be one of the first phones to arrive with HTC's refreshed Sense 3.5 UI. The smart money is on an appearance at HTC's soiree later today, and we'll be there to find out for sure.

Update: We just got word from Target's PR team that the Rhyme will go up for pre-order tomorrow, September 21st, instead of the 22nd. The rep also confirmed that the retailer will be accepting pre-orders at 1,492 Target Mobile locations through the 26th (the Rhyme goes on sale on the 29th).

HTC Rhyme preorders said to begin September 22, Plum-colored exclusive at Target? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Central, Unwired View  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/20/htc-rhyme-preorders-said-to-begin-september-22-plum-colored-exc/

Edith Berner Lea Linden Kevin Fickenscher Amelie Schweizer

Touchstone mod blesses Samsung Epic 4G Touch with inductive charging powers

The Touchstone's future is just as unclear as any other webOS product at the moment, but it's sure getting a fair share of love from the mod community. Not only did we witness the inductive-charging unit work on a modded Samsung Galaxy S Plus, a bold and daring AndroidCentral Forums member also accomplished the feat on his three-day-old Epic 4G Touch in a process that's definitely not for the faint of heart. The modder (who goes by the name of "darrenf" on the forum) offers a full step-by-step guide on exactly how to do it, but advises that it's "a pretty delicate mod" and attempting it will likely void any warranties or return policies that were attached to the phone when purchased. It also doesn't result in the most aesthetically pleasing look since the charging coil had to be attached to the outside of the phone, but it's gotta give you some massive street cred if you pull it off, right?

Touchstone mod blesses Samsung Epic 4G Touch with inductive charging powers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AndroidCentral  |  sourceAndroidCentral Forums  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4OCmB-eNe2k/

Olga Kreibich Nathalie Donnerhacke Anna-Lena Baumgärtel Sabine Kinzler