Right Science Technology and Health

February 26th, 2010

Nexus One Reaches Verizon in March

Google’s Nexus One is expected to reach Verizon on March 23, according to an anonymous source speaking to Neowin. Additionally, the CDMA version of the phone has just been approved by the FCC. Verizon uses CDMA for their mobile network, making the existing UMTS model incompatible. There isn’t many other details about the CDMA model at this time, but you can check out the full FCC details for the phone over at Unwired View.

The Nexus One smartphone was launched by Google last year, featuring their own Android OS and a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen display. Google sells the phone directly, a different approach from other Android based phones. It has gotten decent reviews, and is said to be the best Android phone available at this time. While initially the Nexus One was only available for UMTS/GSM networks, Google had planned to release a CDMA version of the phone. Now that the Nexus One with CDMA has been approved by the FCC, it is expected to reach Verizon in march.

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February 26th, 2010

Palm WebOS 1.4 Expected Today for Sprint Customers

Owners of the Palm Pre or Pixi should be receiving the new webOS update sometime today according to Boy Genius Report. The update brings Flash 10 support, and video capture. Sadly Flash 10 support is limited to Pre owners at this time. Included in the update is a large number of bug fixes, interface enhancements, and performance boosts. Sprint is expected to issue an over-the-air alert when the update is available.

Today’s update arrives along with reports that Palm’s revenues are down and their phones aren’t doing too well. Originally the Palm Pre was exclusive to Sprint customers, but they expanded their new phone offerings to Verizon in January. They are in a tough position, with Apple and Google offering stiff competition. The fact that their shares dropped 19% after the announcement certainly can’t help matters. This can’t be good for Palm at the moment, but they are working hard to promote their products and gain market share.

Some people got their hands on the update early, and posted screenshots and sample video clips, be sure to check them out over at PreCentral if you are curious. You can also check out the full list of changes here.

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February 24th, 2010

Google Execs Found Guilty of Privacy Violations

In a surprising turn of events today, three Google executives were found guilty by a Milan court for privacy code violations. The charges come after a YouTube video was allowed to be posted of an autistic boy being bullied in back in 2006. The court believes that Google is held criminally responsible for what is uploaded to YouTube.

“In late 2006, students at a school in Turin, Italy filmed and then uploaded a video to Google Video that showed them bullying an autistic schoolmate. The video was totally reprehensible and we took it down within hours of being notified by the Italian police. We also worked with the local police to help identify the person responsible for uploading it and she was subsequently sentenced to 10 months community service by a court in Turin, as were several other classmates who were also involved.”

Unfortunately that didn’t stop the court in Italy from convicting three Google executives, despite none of the four indicted having any part in the video. They are seeking an appeal for the six-month jail sentence, but it brings up a good question about internet freedom. What transpired here could have an impact on everyone who hosts content on the internet.

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February 24th, 2010

More Evidence of iPad Camera in Apple’s SDK

The new iPad SDK Beta has been released to developers, and it has already revealed some evidence that Apple might have been working on a front-facing camera for the iPad. MacRumors discovered some references that are used to test if the iPad has a front-facing camera. After even more digging, 9to5mac found UI elements in the SDK that show buttons that are only used for video chat.

This is not the first time evidence of an iPad camera has surfaced. Earlier this month photos of a replacement part for the iPad revealed an empty slot for a front-facing camera. Some people speculate that it might be a prototype version, but when combined with other evidence it does make you wonder. It is perhaps silly to say the iPad will ship with a front-facing camera, but the evidence definitely shows that Apple has been testing the idea internally.

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February 23rd, 2010

iTunes Reaches 10 Billion Songs Downloaded

Earlier this month Apple announced that iTunes would soon reach 10 billion songs downloaded. After nearly seven years of operation, the iTunes Store will finally reach that milestone tonight. To celebrate the milestone, Apple is having a promotion where you can win $10,000 iTunes voucher if you happen to download the 10 billionth song.

The iTunes store has evolved quite a bit since it started. Originally they only offered music locked down with FairPlay (Digital Rights Management) software. The lock frustrated users who demanded the freedom to play their music on any device. Eventually they announced that all music would be available DRM-free.

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February 23rd, 2010

AT&T Fastest In 3G Wireless Tests

In their latest wireless carrier tests, PCWorld declares AT&T to have the fastest 3G Wireless data speeds. The tests were conducted in 13 cities across the United States, measuring the download, upload, and reliability performance of the four major carriers. AT&T had the highest average download and upload speeds, while Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon all trailed behind.

The increase in speeds seems to be attributed to AT&T’s efforts to improve their service toward end of last year. The pressure from new iPhone owners is part of the reason AT&T needed to improve their network. Speeds are also not the only thing that have improved, connection reliability on AT&T has gone up to 94% compared to 68% in PCWorld’s previous test.

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February 23rd, 2010

YouTube Ends IE6 Support In March

This has been in the works for months now, but the final day of support has finally been discovered by Ars Technica. Google has announced through on it’s YouTube support page that they will be ending Internet Explorer 6 support on March 13. The decision is simple, Google can’t keep holding back new features just because they won’t work on older browsers.

If you happen to be one of the unfortunate IE6 users who forgets to upgrade, YouTube will begin warning users by using an interstitial when you try to view a video using an out of date web browser. The message will also recommended five browsers supported by YouTube. The new minimum requirements will be the following: Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3.0, Chrome 4.0, and Safari 3.0. Anything older than those will be deemed as an older browser and recommend that you upgrade to the latest version.

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February 22nd, 2010

Google Earth Arrives For Android 2.1 Phones

Today marks the release of Google Earth for Android. It arrives on the Android Market with new features, but it is limited to devices running Android 2.1, which only includes the Nexus One at the moment. Much like the desktop version, Google Earth for Android is a free application that allows complete access to Google’s 3D mapping imagery. It is similar to Google Maps except you can quickly navigate through the world in 3D, giving the option to see terrain and additional layers that you normally don’t get.

This is not the first time Google Earth has made it to a portable device. It has been available for the iPhone since late 2008, but it came with a few missing features. However, Google Earth for Android is claimed to be the fastest, most feature-filled, mobile version to be released. One new feature of the Android version is the Roads layer, which allows users to see roads just like they do in traditional Google Maps. Google has also added a voice search feature, giving you the ability to find locations just by using voice recognition. All the other features are included as well, such as photo and video layers which let you find media related to visible locations on the map.

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February 22nd, 2010

TV Networks Resist Apple’s Attempt At Lower Prices

Apple had previously been reported to be in talks with television networks to drop the price of TV shows on iTunes to 99 cents per episode. According to a report by The New York Times, the attempt at lower prices is being met with resistance from TV networks. The struggle seems to stem from the cost of production, and trying to keep local distributors and affiliates happy.

Some networks are still taking notice of the demand though, as one TV network executive said to The New York Times that, “We’re willing to try anything, but the key word is ‘try.’” Apple is having trouble getting everyone to agree, and any interest so far has been cautious and purely experimental. CBS has been considering the idea of dropping the price of certain TV shows to 99 cents, but they have not commented any further about it.

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February 21st, 2010

Sony Announces Compact Interchangeable-Lens Concept

During the PMA 2010 conference today, Sony unveiled a new concept compact DSLR camera targeted at the Micro Four Thirds market. The new cameras all feature Sony’s Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor which can record 1080p HD video using the AVCHD codec. The compact design is aided by the lack of a reflex mirror, which makes the camera’s body considerably smaller.

Sony has chosen to use a larger APS-C size sensor, compared to the smaller 17×13mm sensor that Micro Four Thirds cameras use. The concept also carries the Sony’s Alpha branding, with no indication of what kind of lens compatibility there will be. Currently they lack an electronic view finder and only include an LCD for viewing, as seen in a slideshow by Macworld. There are hints at a pop-up flash and dials for manual control, which should give you an idea of how unfinished the product is at this time.

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