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Wednesday 21 May 2014

Virtual weed farms and the sticky state of Apple's App Store restrictions



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eBay hack exposes users' birthdates, addresses

Online auction site eBay is the latest target of a cyberattack. CNET's Sumi Das explains what steps users should take to protect themselves and the specific personal details that were compromised.





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Verizon's latest LTE test streams Indy 500 in-car video to phones in pit lane



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Microsoft tried putting Kinect inside the Xbox One case

Xbox One early sketches

Microsoft has done a lot of backpedaling with the Xbox One, and it started before the console even came out. The always-online requirements were been scrapped, the Xbox Live paywall is gone, and […]



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Sonos Controller app for iPhone and iPad review





Sonos finally updated their Sonos Controller app to version 5 and not only matched the interface and design of iOS 7, but gave it a better, more streamlined and fluid experience. Other than making the software match the ease and elegance of their hardware, however, how well does it work?



For those already familiar with using the Sonos Controller app, all the services you hook into and all the settings will remain the same. A huge amount of the update contains an update interface. Luckily, that means the navigation and user experience has also been rethought and it even better than ever. Swipe to the right in any screen to access the main menu. From here you can use the universal search to look up anything you want. The search displays results from all the services you have hooked in.


Just like previous versions of the Sonos Controller app, you will use it to add components, edit room settings, and more. If you frequently use the Queue feature, you can access and add tracks to it as you could before. The updated design makes the queue itself easier to access and more obvious than the older version.



One feature that has and still does bug me about the Sonos Controller app is that liking or disliking songs is never consistent. While I can do this with Pandora and Beats Music, it doesn't work with Spotify and a few others. I'm sure this has everything to do with how each service allows Sonos to hook into it, but it creates an inconsistent experience nonetheless. This is one of the big reasons I would really like to see AirPlay support in the future.



The good



  • Great interface that now matches the ease of use Sonos hardware offers

  • Complete setup of a system takes only seconds with the Sonos Controller app

  • Gesture support makes it easy to get back to the home menu in one motion


The bad



  • Still no AirPlay support

  • Liking and disliking songs works with some services, but not others


The bottom line



The Sonos Controller app always did what it needed to do but wasn't nearly as easy to use as the Sonos hardware itself. Luckily the 5.0 version changes all that and gives it the design it deserves. The only thing that could make the Sonos experience better in my opinion, would be native AirPlay support.


If you've given the Sonos Controller app a spin, what do you think of the new design? Are there any missing features you'd like to see in a future update? Let me know in the comments!

























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How to take panoramas with your iPhone





Panorama mode on the iPhone Camera lets you capture much wider, much higher megapixel photos than are otherwise possible with the built in iSight lens. By taking a video-like stream of successive frames, the iPhone can literally match and stitch together a single photo greater than the sum of its parts. First introduced with iOS 6 and the iPhone 4, the current version can even make use of Apple's powerful image signal processor (ISP) to dynamically expose the entire image and make it look great from light to dark. Here's how it works!


The difference between wide angle and panorama


There's a fine line between what separates a photograph taken with a wide angle lens and a panoramic photograph. We're not going to get into the nitty-gritty details, so for the sake of simplicity, we'll say that a panoramic photo is one that has a wider field of view than the human eye, is at least twice as long as it is tall, and was created by using software (in our case, apps) to stitch together multiple images.


You've probably seen panorama's displayed and showcased at various places -- they're long and skinny and commonly have cityscapes, landscapes, and sports stadiums as their subject.


How to take a panoramic photo with your iPhone



  1. Launch the Camera app on your iPhone — note that the iPhone 4s and newer support panorama mode.

  2. Swipe to the left to change modes. You'll need to do this two times to switch from normal camera mode to panorama mode.

  3. The iPhone defaults to portrait mode from panoramas so make sure you are holding your iPhone that way and not in landscape mode.

  4. By default, panoramas always start on the left and want you to pan to the right. You can change this by tapping the arrow to change directions.

  5. Tap the capture button to start taking a panoramic photo.

  6. Keep your feet firmly planted and make sure the arrow stays on the line as you're panning from left to right — or right to left if you've changed directions.

  7. Once you're done taking your pano, simply tap the capture button again.



The Camera app doesn't currently support full 360º panoramas. You can take up to a 240º panorama in one shot, so keep that in mind. You obviously don't have to use the entire 240º if you don't want to.


How to take a vertical panorama with your iPhone


While the Camera app technically is meant to take panoramas horizontally, sometimes rules are meant to be broken. If you ever come across a time where you want to get a photo of a particularly tall building, being a little creative with panos can help you capture a perfectly unique photo.



  1. Launch the Camera app on your iPhone — note that the iPhone 4s and newer support panorama mode.

  2. Swipe to the left to change modes. You'll need to do this two times to switch from normal camera mode to panorama mode.

  3. Once you're in panorama mode, hold your iPhone in landscape mode instead.

  4. Tap the capture button to start taking a panorama.

  5. This time instead of panning left to right, pan up and down instead.

  6. Hit the capture button again when you're done.



Note: Originally published in October 2012, updated May 2014.


How to get more help with iPhone photography

























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Handy li'l iZip E3 Town:exp has a long name and a small frame

The iZip E3 Town:exp on display at the Charged Up electric bike media event in New Jersey


In order for an electric bike to stand out from the pack, it helps if it offers unique features such as light weight or the ability to fold. Of the e-bikes that we saw at last week's Charged Up event, however, one of our faves is a little number that isn't particularly remarkable in any one way. It's the iZip E3 Town:exp, and it simply manages to pack several good things into a small package. .. Continue Reading Handy li'l iZip E3 Town:exp has a long name and a small frame



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Shooting Challenge: Skin

No, you don't have to send back your Nest Protect

Because the Nest Protect will work without a Wi-Fi connection, federal regulators force a recall of more than 440,000 of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

















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Dale Earnhardt Jr. swoops onto track in Superman car

Let the superheroics begin in Nascar. DC Comics and Dale Earnhardt Jr. unveil a Superman paint scheme for the No. 88 Chevy.





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In Lightroom's shadow, Corel and DxO revamp raw-photo editing tools

In effort to take on Adobe, DxO Labs tries working with its competitor while Corel tries a speed boost and new features.





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EBay asks users to change passwords after hack

It's time to play the password-change game again, as a cyberattack exposes eBay users' personal information. Also: Facebook updates its app to listen for music and TV shows playing nearby.





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This Is the Closest We've Ever Come to Recreating Shark Skin

This Is the Closest We've Ever Come to Recreating Shark Skin


Shark skin is famously sleek and dragless, the envy of swimsuit designers. Perhaps less famous is what shark skin's oddly rough surface looks like up close: an eerie matrix of microscopic tooth-like scales. Now, scientists are 3D printing artificial shark skin in hopes of unlocking its swimming secrets.


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