Found under: AlessiTab, Android, Home, Media, Smartphone,

Home media tablet that is what this new Android device is it aint something you can walk around with it stays at home like a little netbook. The look of the device makes it more appealing so housewives or just women in general drop it in the kitchen and get the recipe for the Chinese dish you always wanted to make right off the Internet.Not much is known about the AlessiTab Android Tablet otherwise from it featuring Wi-Fi digital photo-frame touch display and a digital TV tuner. I

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With the large number of features that the Android OS offers, it can sometimes get overwhelming when trying to change something as simple as, say, your WiFi settings. With the 1.6 “Donut” release, developers attempted to fix this problem with the Power Control widget; a desktop bar that allows quick access to toggling WiFi, Bluetooth, screen brightness and other settings. But changing the network, or bluetooth device, still took digging through menu after menu. Enter Quick Settings, a free app available for every version of Android.

This handy app allows access to almost every possible setting you would need to change, all from the status bar. No need to switch to your desktop to change the screen timeout or notification volume. A quick swipe of the finger from inside almost any app will bring up a dashboard giving you full control over your device.

There are already a number of “toggle” programs available on the Market to accomplish this same feat. Most are limited to desktop widgets, buttons that take up space, or static menus that do not match your workflow. Quick Settings rectifies these problems and more.

You can easily customize which settings are available to toggle and in what order. A quick tap on any setting, rather than the toggle button itself, jumps you straight to the system menu for easy and in-depth changes. It also provides a quick overview of your phone and SD Card’s available memory, your battery statistics and settings, and a flashlight.

The developer is very responsive to suggestions and questions, and has some small upgrades in store for the app. One of the upcoming features is a small battery widget that allows access to the Quick Settings dialog.

Here is a short video from TheCommonTech of the application in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQPT7T2H6Q

Pros:

• Quick access to most system settings
• Customizable to fit usage and workflow
• Easy overview of battery and system memory
• Low/No memory use when in tray
• Replaces numerous apps (all-in-one)

Cons:

• LED flashlight limited to Motorola Droid
• Theme doesn’t match stock Android UI fully

Final Verdict:
This application allows easy access to all of your system settings and a simple overview of your phone’s memory and battery. For a fast, free app that does it all, look no further than Quick Settings.

Note: This review was submitted by Philippe Fenderson as part of our app review contest.

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Looks like more so than carbon nanotubes. This attribute is key to using the material in electronic devices such as actuators, valves in labs-on-a-chip and electronic paper.

From the link:

Physicists at UC San Diego and Boston University think so. In a paper published in the journal Physical Review B, the scientists say the propensity of graphene—a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice— to stick to itself and form carbon “nanoscrolls” could be controlled electrostatically to form a myriad of new devices.

Unlike carbon nanotubes—cylindrical molecules of pure carbon with novel properties that have become the focus of much of the attention of new application in electronics and materials development—carbon nanoscrolls retain open edges and have no caps.

“As a result, nanoscrolls can change their shape and their inner and outer diameters, while nanotubes cannot,” said Michael Fogler, an associate professor of physics at UCSD and the first author of the paper.

Found under: Android, Froyo, 2.2, Google, Smartphone, Google I/O,

Theres a new version of Google Android somewhere out there lurking in the midst this newer version of the OS is called Froyo or as what most people will eventually call it Andriod 2.2. Android 2.2 Froyo is the next update for Googles killer mobile platform Android and Me has been looking through their visitor stats when they came across devices running on the Android 2.2 build.Right now the only strong information we have regarding Android 2.2 is the possible official announcement

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Job openings abound in the gaming industry, folks! After Rocksteady’s posting, we now have word that Irrational Games (under 2K Games, known as 2K Boston), developers of BioShock, is also looking for new hires.
 
 
 

by Julian Ku

Although the U.S. is already prosecuting a pirate captured last year in New York, I hadn’t realized the U.S. was going to be trying other pirates in federal court as well.  But since Kenya has stopped accepting pirates for prosecution in their courts, I guess it makes sense that the U.S. and other countries will have to step up to the plate. At least 6 are already en route, with up to 21 slated for future trials.  Time to set up shop in Norfolk as a pirate defense lawyer!

Thus far, the only pirates that will be tried here will be ones charged with attacking U.S. vessels or property.  But unless I’m mistaken, I don’t think there is any requirement that the pirate have a connection to the U.S. in order to stand trial.  18 U.S.C. 1651 seems to define piracy very broadly:  ”Whoever, on the high seas, commits the crime of piracy as defined by the law of nations, and is afterwards brought into or found in the United States, shall be imprisoned for life.” This statute has not been used recently, to say the least, since the last reported case I found was in 1958. Moreover, in its earlier incarnation, courts construed it somewhat more narrowly to require at least the involvement of a U.S. ship (although not the involvement of a U.S. citizen) See U.S. v. Furlong, U.S.Ga.1820, 18 U.S. 184. Still, in theory, one could interpret the statute to authorize universal jurisdiction.  If Kenya won’t take anymore pirates for trial, we might see a test of the universal jurisdiction scope of Section 1651.

I have a nasty online shopping habit. It’s so easy to hop online and have everything you’ve ever wanted right at your fingertips. Of course, shopping online usually means you have to wait a few days as your item goes through the shipping process. As of this writing, I currently have 3 packages at some point in the shipping process, all through the worldwide leader in all things shipping: UPS.

Sure, Android has some fairly decent shipment tracking applications. But now, UPS just changed the way we will look at the entire shipping process on our Android devices with the release of their UPS mobile app. Currently in version 1.0.1, the UPS mobile app offers not only the ability to track any UPS shipment on your mobile device, but also allows shippers the opportunity to get shipping cost quotes. In addition, the UPS app offers the ability to purchase shipping directly through the app itself, provided you are a registered member of UPS and have a registered credit card on file. I do not have a card on file, nor do I think I have shipped a package since about 2005, but the ability to conveniently order shipping from my mobile device is certainly a nice feature to have.

Though the UPS app still feels like a beta app, it certainly offers a wealth of features for the low-low price of $0.00.

Pros

• Convenient all-in-one solution
• Ability to actually purchase shipping from your mobile device
• Free!
• Quick and easy access to shipments.

Cons

• Only able to track UPS shipments
• Still has a very beta feel. The UI isn’t refined enough.

Final Verdict:
Anyone who either uses UPS for their shipments or is an online-shopaholic like me (most sites use UPS) should download this app. It’s free and offers several convenient features without having to go through the browser.

Note: This review was submitted by Anthony Domanico as part of our app review contest.

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A new study to be published in the International Journal of Climatology concludes that predicting the effects of global warming in the future could be significantly affected by mountains.

The study, written by researchers from Oregon State University using the unique historical data provided by Oregon’s H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, believes that the effects of global warming could be dramatically changed over very small distances thanks to the air movements in complex or mountainous terrain.

The authors believe that such a change could see doubling or even tripling to the temperature increases in some situations. (more…)

And it all comes together: Hulu will start testing a $10-a-month Hulu Plus subscription service as early as May 24, according to the LA Times. Huge. More »

Robert Langer wrote:

[Editor’s note: To help launch Xconomy Detroit, we’ve queried our network of Xconomists and other innovation leaders around the country for their list of the most important things that entrepreneurs and innovators in Michigan can do to reinvigorate their regional economy.]

1) Create great technologies

2) Bring more venture capital into the region

3) Get the state to give more grant money to universities + existing faculty

4) Attract great new junior and senior faculty (more funding needed)

5) Strengthen tech transfer offices.

UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

Bluetooth 4.0 just got finalized and will start rolling out to devices by the end of the year. Along with extending range from 30 feet to 200 feet, 4.0 introduces a new low power mode that will be seen in either single or dual-mode iterations. More »

Ubisoft has unveiled a bunch of brand new gameplay footage Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Check out how the Prince uses his acrobatic skills and magical abilities as he tries to infiltrate the besieged castle after

The majority of music creation apps for Android are digital reproductions of real instruments. However, they can’t seem to capture the real feel of the object they mimic. Ethereal Dialpad, on the other hand, takes a radically different approach by emulating a synthesizer.

When you first start the app, you get a choice of 4 “dialpads” and their description. You can enter any of these and start playing, the only difference being the onscreen graphics. While the first 3 are just pretty colours and cool animations, the last dialpad actually has the notes overlaid and color coded so you know what you’re playing. Once you choose a dialpad, the fun really starts and you get to control the pitch of two synthesized voices/instruments by moving a finger on the screen from left to right or up and down. The sound quality is above average and really soothing.

The fact that the graphics change and react to your touch takes the app to the next level. You can exit a dialpad at any point by pressing the Back key. By pressing the Menu key from the main screen you get the option to go into the Synth preferences or get more dialpads. While dialpads change the graphics, in Synth preferences you will get the chance to modify the sound by changing the pitch quantizer (basically what kind of scale to use if any), how many octaves are on the screen at one point, echoes, sustain and timbre options. This is also where you select whether you want to control one voice and it’s volume, or two.

The good:

• Beautiful graphics and sound
• Makes it very easy to get something that sounds decent
• Uses a simple interface to control two instruments at the same time
• Promises to be extensible by adding new dialpads
• Extremely lightweight (a 35kb download)
• Free in the Android Marketplace

Improvements I would like to see:

• At the time of writing there is only one other dialpad available for download and it isn’t free
• Too many octaves on the screen at the same time are difficult to control
• When controlling a single voice you can’t choose to do it left to right, only up and down

The bottom line:
Ethereal Dialpad is a nifty little app that knows better than to try to rip off a real instrument. It’s it’s own unique thing, and you have to download it for that alone.

Note: This review was submitted by Alexandru-Ioan Dobrinescu as part of our app review contest.

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The pledges to curb carbon emissions made during 2009’s Copenhagen Accord are more likely to see Earth suffer a three degree warming rather than the deal’s target of two degrees.

Such a warming could have dire affects for Earth’s climate system, possibly increasing the frequency of droughts, floods, storms and rising seas, all of which will affect millions of people.

An analysis published in the journal Nature by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research say the promises made during the Accord last year fell remarkably short of the headline-mark.

“It’s amazing how unambitious these pledges are,” they said. (more…)

And Avatar comes out on DVD. (BTW — don’t shy away from the DVD or Blu -ray just because it’s not in IMAX 3D. I caught a pre-street of the DVD over the weekend and it was great.)

Here’s a link more appropriate for Earth Day.

The release:

Expert commentary on Earth Day’s 40th anniversary

Presented in Sustainability: The Journal of Record; Environmental Justice; and Ecopsychology

New Rochelle, NY, April 21, 2010— In recognition of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com) will provide complimentary online access to its journals in the field of sustainability, including Sustainability: The Journal of Record; Environmental Justice; and Ecopsychology through May 15. Each journal provides cutting-edge information about sustainability initiatives, the relationship between mankind and nature, and the protection of our citizens and our planet.

In this month’s issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record (www.liebertpub.com/sus), Ray Anderson, the Founder and Chairman of Interface, reflects on “Earth Day, Then and Now.” “In the Green” reports on what a number of organizations and institutions are doing to commemorate this auspicious anniversary, including Major League Baseball, Walt Disney Studios, Dow Chemical Co., and Northwestern University. The Journal documents the implementation of sustainability programs in higher education and business, and provides the central forum for academic institutions, the business community, foundations, government agencies, and leaders of green-collar endeavors to learn about one another’s progress and programs and foster collaborations for attaining mutually supportive objectives.

Environmental Justice offers a provocative view of “Earth Day at the Crossroads of Sustainability and Justice,” with contributions by Editor-in-Chief Sylvia Hood Washington, PhD, MSE, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago, David Naguib Pellow, PhD, University of Minnesota, and Kristen Schrader-Frechette, PhD, University of Notre Dame, among others.

Now in its third year, Environmental Justice (www.liebertpub.com/env)explores the adverse and disparate environmental burden impacting marginalized populations and communities all over the world.

Articles in Ecopsychology (www.liebertpub.com/eco), edited by Thomas Joseph Doherty, PsyD, explore the relationship between environmental issues and mental health and well-being, and examine the psychological, spiritual, and therapeutic aspects of human-nature relationships, concern about environmental issues, and responsibility for protecting natural places and other species.

###

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science, medicine, biomedical research, and law, including Industrial Biotechnology, Environmental Engineering Science, andBiosecurity and Bioterrorism. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.