FUNKY GREEN: 11/06/13

Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Daily Roundup: Fitbit Force and ATIV Book 9 Lite reviews, Pebble iOS enhancements and more!

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Engadget HD Podcast 373 - 11.5.13

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gdgt's best deals for November 6th: 55-inch Sony BRAVIA 3D 4K Ultra HDTV, ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7

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YouTube flips the switch on its new conversation-style comment system powered by Google+

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Google Maps Update Brings Street View Enhancements and Pegman

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New Patent Lets Apple Build Fingerprint Scanners in More Devices

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This Sausage Gun Fires Mouthwatering Ammo

Un niño de diez años descubre una supernova desde su casa

La supernova de Nathan Gray es el punto luminoso que se ve arriba a la izquierda de PGC 61330

Falta aún la confirmación oficialísima, aunque todo parece indicar que es sólo una formalidad, para que Nathan Gray pueda decir que ha descubierto un supernova en la galaxia PGC 61330, situada a unos 600 millones de años luz de la Tierra, tal y como se puede leer en 10-Year-Old Boy Discovers a 600 Million Year-Old Supernova .

Por ahora se llama PSN J18032459+7013306 y Nathan la descubrió comparando imágenes tomadas por Dave Lane desde el Observatorio Abbey Ridge con otras más antiguas, un método clásico para realizar descubrimientos astronómicos.

De hecho es el que uso Clyde Tombaugh para descubrir Plutón en 1930, aunque hoy en día se usan programas de ordenador para hacerlo en lugar de microscopios de parpadeo.

El estereocomparador usado para descubrir Plutón - Foto CC de Pretzelpaws

En las imágenes más antiguas no se ve el punto de luz localizado por Nathan, mientras que en las más recientes se ve claramente, aunque hay que descartar que no se trate de otro fenómeno mediante más observaciones.

En cuanto se confirme el descubrimiento Nathan se convertirá en la persona más joven en haber descubierto una supernova, quitándole el título por 33 días a su hermana, que en 2011 descubrió la supernova SN 2010lt.

Se ve que es cosa de familia.

# Enlace Permanente

via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/ciencia/nino-de-diez-anos-descubre-una-supernova-desde-su-casa.html

Shooting Challenge: Use Your Smartphone

Microsoft shows how to redeem an Xbox One download code in six seconds (video)

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i.TV acquires GetGlue to boost its stake in second screen viewing

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Google: Mystery Barge Is a Place to Showcase Tech — For Now

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This Video Projected on Water Will Take You To a Creepy Fantasy World

Calibrating a More Careful Car Chase With GPS-Firing Guns

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Everpix, the Almost Amazing Photo Service, Is Dead

Google Finally Acknowledges Mystery Barges, Encourages More Mystery

Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite review: What does it take to make an $800 version of a $1,400 Ultrabook?

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The Snapchat Co-Founder Lawsuit Drama Drags On

Snapchat is in the middle of its own epic founder lawsuit, Facebook-style. Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, CEO and CTO respectively, are being sued by their former classmate Reggie Brown, who claims to have come up with the idea for disappearing messages and helped start the company.

According to new information filed on October 23 by Brown, Snapchat investors are also being sued by Brown.

In June, Snapchat received $60 million in funding at an $800 million valuation led by IVP, with participation by General Catalyst and SV Angel. Brown claims that he is owed part of that funding. Earlier filings from Brown indicate he also feels entitled to a full one-third of the company, now valued around $3 billion to $4 billion.

The amended complaint, which tells Brown's entire side of the story from app inception to what his lawyer's refer to as the “betrayal” in August of 2011, also indicates that Snapchat really was created with the intent to sext, contrary to more recent statements from Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.

Though he never states it implicitly, this latest filing (from October 23) includes an email sent from Spiegel to a professor who had conducted research on sexting, asking for feedback.

Spiegel has said before (in an article for The New Yorker that the idea came about when a friend of his said “I wish these photos I am sending this girl would disappear.”

Though it's never been confirmed, given other information about the case that has since trickled out, that friend may very well have been Reggie Brown.

Of course, just because Snapchat was potentially built as a sexting app, that doesn't mean its troves of users (sending over 300 million snaps per day) are using it predominantly for sexting. However, it does clash with statements from Spiegel claiming the opposite.

This latest filing also uncovers other emails from Spiegel describing an app he built with two of his friends, wording that was later switched to just one friend after Brown's alleged removal from the company.

Brown also submitted a conversation between Spiegel's father and Brown's mother during the time that Brown claims to have lived with Spiegel and Murphy in Spiegel's home. That home was located on Toyopa Drive, and the company was originally re-named Toyopa Group LLC from Future Freshman, a failed venture between Spiegel and Murphy.

Of course, Spiegel and Murphy haven't told their side of the story yet, so it's unfair to judge the situation just yet.

You can check out the full filing below:

11/23 Snapchat filing

[via Business Insider]

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Nexus 5 vs. Nexus 4 vs. Galaxy Nexus vs. Nexus S vs. Nexus One

En su día ya publicamos la comparación entre los miembros de la familia iPhone (iPhone 5S vs 5C vs 5 vs 4S vs 4 vs 3Gs vs 3G vs 2G); esta otra con los Nexus es básicamente el mismo experimento.

Curiosamente el 5 y el 4 arrancan prácticamente en el mismo tiempo; en los juegos y otras funciones se aprecia un poco más la diferencia de velocidad. Cada modelo corre la versión de Android entre la Gingerbread 2.3.4 y la KitKat 4.4 hasta donde puede (tan solo el Nexus y el Nexus 4 tienen la misma: 4.3).

# Enlace Permanente

via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/gadgets/nexus-5-vs-nexus-4-vs-nexus-vs-s-vs-one.html

Playing Darts Is So Much Easier With a Slingshot Sniper Rifle

Google finally talks barges: it's an 'interactive space where people can learn about new technology'

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Google Maps adds Waze traffic data to the desktop, brings back Pegman

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Best Buy Nabs U.S. Exclusive on Blue Samsung Galaxy S4

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Apple says missing iWork features will return within six months

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Google Search App for iOS Now Responds to 'OK, Google' Command

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Blockbuster to shutter remaining US retail stores, accept the inevitable

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Going to Engadget Expand? This web app is your personal guide

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How to Check if Your Adobe Account Was Compromised

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The Business of Predicting the End of the World

Facebook's Like button drops the thumbs up for a new, bluer look

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Pebble Adds Bluetooth Smart Notifications For All Apps On iOS 7, Gives Devs More Tools With SDK 2.0

Pebble's creators didn't just make a functional smartwatch when they designed their device, they packed it with a lot of potential for the future, too. Much of that potential has lain dormant while Pebble focused on ramping up production and building an enthusiastic community of dedicated independent developers, but today, the startup is activating some more of its smartwatch's superpowers, and laying the groundwork of the next generation of Pebble apps.

iOS 7 Notification Updates

For users, the immediate benefit of this announcement is that the latest firmware adds full integration with iOS 7, and no hassle notifications via third party apps, configurable via Notification Center settings. Any apps that you've enabled Banner notifications for in iOS 7 on your iPhone (any model with Bluetooth 4.0), will now show notifications on your Pebble, too. In practice, I had to reconnect the second Pebble that shows up in your devices menu under Bluetooth in Settings (which is the BLE connection) once to get this to work consistently.

The notifications work very reliably, though in the version I tested there were some issues with some primary apps like Mail sending duplicate notices. Pebble says it's aware of both issues and working on a bug fix currently, however. And despite some growing pains, the changes are tremendous for iOS users. On Android, of course, Pebble has always been able to support third-party notifications, but on iOS, at best you needed to implement workarounds, and really there was no generally satisfying option. Now, I'm getting Skype, Hangouts, Twitter and many more notifications direct to the watch without any fiddly changes to existing settings.

Bluetooth Smart (or Bluetooth 4.0, or LE or what have you) was always built-in to Pebble, so whether you've got a Kickstarter edition, one from Best Buy or one ordered direct, you'll have that ready to go. I spoke with Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky, who explained that they developed a way to use Bluetooth 3.0 to connect to devices for more appropriate tasks for that tech, like updating firmware and controlling the iOS music player, and Bluetooth LE for thing like notifications and other lightweight tasks. The combination should help the Pebble continue to enjoy long battery life, all the while improving general functionality.

Pebble SDK 2.0

The update for iOS users is just one of Pebble's big announcements today; the other is aimed at developers, as the startup introduces version 2.0 of its SDK for building Pebble apps. So far, even with the limited tools provided for making crude apps and watchfaces, developers have created 2,200 apps on MyPebbleFaces.com, and uploaded over 80,000 watchfaces on the community-built watchface-generator.de. There are already over 50 companion apps designed to be used with Pebble on iTunes and Google Play, and over 10,000 individuals Pebble classifies as developers for its platform.

Version 1.0 of the SDK was little more than a testbed, however, and 2.0 opens up many new possibilities, according to Migicovsky. That's because it unlocks various Pebble components that make building apps native to the watch much easier, including access to its onboard accelerometer, data storage, and logging of activity which it can automatically report back to an app once the watch reconnects to a device.

These features mean that Pebble can act as a fitness tracker for any app that wants to use its data – and unlike APIs from Nike, Jawbone and others, the data isn't pre-formatted, so devs get access to raw activity information that they can parse using whatever algorithm they choose – including some that may be more accurate that those currently employed by competitors. All of a sudden, Pebble isn't just a smartwatch, it's a flexible smartphone accessory that any developer can make their own. Plus, there's a new JavaScript API that means developers can build software that works regardless of what platform (Android or iOS) a Pebble owner is on, instead of having to recode for each.

“Our attitude is that we as a company are not necessarily going to be the ones writing the hero apps all the time for Pebble,” Migicovsky explained. “But it's our job to make sure that for a third-party developer, they can get started as easy as possible, building apps that could potentially be equivalent to other pieces of hardware. Maybe the next person that comes up with a fitness tracking algorithm at Stanford, MIT, Harvard or wherever, instead of having to go start their own hardware company, can just walk down to Best Buy, grab a Pebble and get started.”

Big Name App Partners

Since its launch, Pebble has had interest from big companies who want to integrate their products or services with the platform, but Migicovsky says they were waiting for the right moment to start bring those on board. The new SDK means that they've been able to work with some early partners to build products that complement some top-tier apps, including Foursquare and Yelp. The Yelp Pebble app will offer up listings for nearby locations to check out, and the Foursquare one actually allows you to check in direct from the smartwatch itself, which should help Foursquare drive more active engagement for its service among Pebble users.

Other partners include iControl, which is building remote control of Xfinity home monitoring and automation services for the watch, and GoPro, which is making it possible to completely control its Wi-Fi-enabled GoPro action cameras from your wrist via Pebble. These initial partners aren't launching their apps immediately, but they'll be available sometime over the next few weeks. More info on SDK news can be found via Pebble's announcement livetsream, going on right now.

Now that Pebble has fulfilled the backlog of early demand it faced, and shipped over 190,000 Pebble watches to backers and buyers, and released a mature software development framework, I asked Migicovsky what's the next phase for the company, suggesting new hardware product might be on the horizon. Predictably, he wouldn't speak to future product plans, but instead pointed to the chance the company has now to build a true software ecosystem, and make those apps easy to access for users. When asked whether he was working with third-party portal like MyPebbleFaces to make that happen, he said that they were indeed speaking to them directly, but that there's nothing more to announce at this time in that regard. With a community built-in, however, bringing MyPebbleFaces in-house to form the foundation of a software marketplace makes a lot of sense.

Taking The Next Step

Pebble is also now back in stock on the website, and for a limited time, is being offered in all colors with free worldwide courier shipping. This should make it so that anyone can get one in around four or five days, Migicovsky says. Catching up with demand is good for consumers, but it also means Pebble is facing a new challenge: After satisfying initial appetite, it now needs to bring consumers back to the table for the rest of the meal, and the announcements today are designed to help do just that.

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Pebble smartwatch to offer more iOS notifications, enable gesture-based controls

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AssuredLabor, A Mobile Job Hunting Platform For Latin America, Beefs Up Revenue, Board

Assured Labor, a job hunting startup that began out of MIT and helps 25,000 employers hire across Latin America, has been doubling revenue month over month for four of the last five months and is beefing up its board.

The company has about 750,000 job seekers across two main platforms in Brazil and Mexico. Because job seekers in these markets might not have access to desktop computers, Assured Labor has built a mobile centric platform where users can get text alerts on when there are positions that might be relevant to them. Many of the listings are for jobs in sales or administration.

CEO David Reich says the company is adding about 1,000 employers a month. The company picked up $5.5 million in funding from Mexican private equity firm Capital Indigo, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Nexus Venture Partners and Kima Ventures about six months ago.

“We're running at a fast clip and are able to consistently deliver way better opportunities to low wage job seekers than anyone else in the market,” said Reich, who just moved to Mexico City from New York about two months ago.

The company's adding a few veterans, Steve Pogorzelski and André Andrade, from the recruiting and telecommunications world.

Pogorzelski was the international group president of one of the biggest Web 1.0-era job hunting sites, Monster, through its heyday from 1998 through 2008. He's now the CEO of ClickFuel, an Massachusetts-based online marketing company.

The other new board member, André Andrade, was the COO of Movile and was an executive at two of Brazil's largest wireless carriers, Vivo and Claro. He's now a CEO at Titans Group, which creates value-added services for mobile carriers around the world.

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