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This is not a late April Fool’s Joke. Masters champ Bubba Watson has a hovercraft golf cart.

It’s called “Bubba’s Hover,” and it’s a project between Bubba and Oakley – based on a design from Neoteric Hovercraft.

I love playing golf, but if I had this thing there’s simply no way that I would ever get out of it to hit a shot. Come at me, gators.

While many people are waiting and watching for news about flagship devices from the major manufacturers, work continues on devices for other strata in the market. Today Vietnamese retailer Mai Nguyen posted information about a new device from Samsung, the Galaxy Win (I8552), expected to launch in May 2013. The Galaxy Win will be powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor driving a 480×800 4.7-inch screen. The device will run Android 4.1.2, has a 5MP camera, supports up to a 32GB microSD card for additional memory, and is dual-SIM capable. The device does not have 4G capability. No information on pricing, carriers or markets was provided. Hit the break for a couple more images of this new Samsung smartphone.

source: SamMobile
via: Mai Nguyen

Come comment on this article: Mid-range Samsung Galaxy Win leaked courtesy of Vietnamese retailer

A new kind of application monitoring for next-generation IT architectures

Over $7 billion is spent annually on IT operations, most of it going to legacy vendors with products designed for a different era. Next-generation applications are the driver of modern business, and those applications demand a new approach to ensure performance and security, an approach based on data and analytics. Boundary’s SaaS solution for Application Operations has rocketed with hundreds of users benefiting from the service. Boundary is allowing customers to deal with the new challenges brought about through the dynamic nature of modern, distributed applications and in the process reinventing the way customers think about IT operations.

One-second app visualization, cloud-compatible and only a few minutes from setup to results

By monitoring every packet that flows from server to server instance and analyzing them in seconds, Boundary alerts users to developing problems in seconds not minutes. No matter what computing environment you operate — including public, private and hybrid cloud infrastructures – Boundary gives you real-time visibility not obtainable from traditional monitoring tools. Boundary lets you innovate more, move faster and embrace new technologies without fear.

Extracting text from a PDF file is a pretty simple operation that relies on copy/paste actions if the document is not protected against copying. But things are getting a little more complicated if you want to preserve the formatting, because simply pasting into a text processor does not save such information.

With PDF Shaper you can convert a PDF file to RTF and k… (read more)

Eidos Montreal proved it had the chops to revive one of the most beloved series in gaming in 2011 with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game went on to win numerous awards and sell 2.18 million units in its first month. Now the title is coming to Wii U with new features and fixes for common complaints.

Square Enix recently announced that it will be launching Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut on the Wii U on May 7. The game, ported by the same team that worked on the Wii U version of Mass Effect 3, features a number of new features exclusive to the Wii U version. The game will also fix a number of problems fans had with the original, including the boss fights.

It seems kind of strange to port an almost two-year-old game to the Wii U, but the console is starved for content. Besides, some gamers that stuck only to the Wii last generation may never have had the chance to play one of 2011′s best games. For them, it will undoubtedly be a great experience, but I doubt Deus Ex veterans will want to buy the game again.

The Financial Times last year decided to eschew the world of Apple and app stores in favor of an independent mobile content strategy based on web apps. The publisher says it has no second thoughts about the decision, and is instead pushing forward with its web-based smartphone and tablet experience.

On Wednesday, the FT rolled out a new version of its iPad offering that lets readers toggle between a live version of the website and a static view that resembles the morning newspaper. The new “app” also allows readers to clip articles to read later and features a personalized reading history and financial portfolio.

“It’s a much superior second-generation web app based on the latest HMTL5 implementation out there,” said FT.com’s Managing Director, Rob Grimshaw, in a phone interview. He added that it’s only on the iPad for now, but will soon be available on other devices like the iPhone, the Chromebook and Android devices.

While the new version of the web app is nice enough aesthetically (you can see screenshots at right), its real significance remains on a symbolic level. In deciding to bolt Apple altogether last year, the FT took up a vanguard position in the “web vs app” debate — standing for the position that improvements in HTML5 means native apps have become unnecessary. Other premium publishers, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, have so far resisted the FT’s “all-in on web” approach and continue to design apps specifically for Apple and Android devices, and sell them through app stores.

The FT’s decision to quit the app stores meant it would no longer have to fork out a 30% commission to the likes of Apple, but also raised a risk that readers would fail to find the publisher on smartphones and tablets. Grimshaw says this”discoverability” concern is not an issue for major brands, and that the FT’s tablet traffic has actually risen 70% since leaving iTunes.

“If you are a big brand, why not use that? We don’t need Apple or anyone else to say what the FT is,” said Grimshaw.

He did acknowledge that collecting payments from mobile devices are still a challenge for publishers; unlike iTunes, which already has a user’s credit card on file, the web doesn’t offer a quick and easy way for people to pay. Grimshaw added, though, that a solution is coming soon.

“Players like Amazon are opening their payment plan more,” he said. “There’s Amazon, PayPal and one or two others. It’s problem that’s about to get solved.”

For now, Grimshaw says that 15-20 percent of new digital subscriptions are coming via a mobile device and that he expects that number to rise. Like its sister publication, The Economist, the FT has unbundled digital access from its print subscriptions and is offering a variety of price points: a premium online subscription is $8.49 a week while a standard one is $6.25 (Grimshaw says a third of subscribers buy premium); a print and digital subscription is $11.49 while print-only is $7.25.

The FT has become something of a poster child for the idea that news that a bright future in the digital era. It recently announced that it had “crossed over” with its audience, amassing more digital subscribers than print ones. But, as we’ve noted before, the Financial Times‘ distinct audience and product make it more of an outlier than a model that lots of other news publications can replicate.

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TEDxChange, themed “Positive Disruption,” kicks off shortly — at 9am (PDT) at the Gates Foundation campus in Seattle, Washington — and anyone, anywhere is invited to watch along through the livestream at TED.com or via TEDxChange.org. Yesterday, we gave you three reasons to tune in and shared with you the amazing speakers who’ll take the stage, from host Melinda Gates to a pair of 15-year-olds who are working to eradicate polio from their communities.

And here’s more motivation to watch. Below, just a few of the great talks that have been given at TEDxChanges past:

• Melinda Gates: Let’s put birth control back on the agenda
• Hans Rosling: The good news of the decade?
• Melinda Gates: What nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola
• Mechai Viravaidya: How Mr. Condom made Thailand a better place

Watch the webcast »

Foursquare has just released an update to their Android app that brings better maps to the explore feature and lets users redefine the parameters of their location searching by zooming in on a specific portion of the map.

“We’ve updated the app to give you a better map experience. Now when you’re on the home screen looking at friends and interesting places nearby, or searching for “iced coffee” or “egg sandwich” in Explore, we’ll show you a map that you can expand, swipe, and zoom,” says Foursquare.

Probably the most useful effect of this update is that users will be able to make their searches more specific by zooming in on a specific portion of a map. Just zoom in to the smaller frame and tap “redo search” and only venues within that smaller radius will appear in your results.

We’ve updated our Android app with sweet interactive maps! Swipe, zoom, and explore to your heart’s content. bit.ly/11iz1AP

— Foursquare (@foursquare) April 2, 2013

Just a couple weeks ago, Foursquare updated its Android app to show suggestions based on whether you’re a tourist or a local.

You can grab the update right now over on Google Play.

As you probably have guessed, I watch my data usage closely. Because of that, I take any chance I can to jump on Wi-Fi while still staying secure (WPA2, FTW!). I’ve even gotten in the habit of downloading larger apps over my home Wi-Fi to avoid the data hit. It’s a great way to save data use, but let’s face it, not all Wi-Fi is created equal. So what are some of your favorite Wi-Fi spots that aren’t at home? I’d like to share a few of mine, and then open the comments up to hear from you.

• Coffee Shops: Espresso, Internet, a diverse group of people…does it get any better? Whether relaxing at a chain or taking advantage of the local brew, I’m definitely a fan of the one-two punch of java and browsing.
• Libraries: Remember libraries? Well, many of them offer Wi-Fi now, and they are much quieter than a coffee shop, so hang here if you’re diving into research. (Probably not a good place for Plants vs. Zombies.)
• Restaurants: Like a coffee shop, they’re going to want you to buy something, but with many fast-food places offering free Wi-Fi, it’s a small price to pay. Most of the Wi-Fi is pretty speedy as well, so you can download an app before you finish your cheeseburger.

I’m sure there are plenty of other hotspot hot spots in your neighborhood; feel free to add to this list by sharing your favorite places in the comments below.

Former New England Patriots head coach Chuck Fairbanks has died. He was 79.

According to a statement by the Patriots organization, Fairbanks died in Scottsdale, Arizona after a prolonged battle with brain cancer.

“As a Patriots season ticket holder, I remember the excitement that was generated by the hiring of Chuck Fairbanks from the University of Oklahoma in 1973,” said Robert Kraft, CEO of the New England Patriots. “Coach Fairbanks gave the Patriots instant credibility. For Patriots fans of that era, Fairbanks was the Bill Parcells before Bill Parcells. Meaning, he did for the Patriots in the ‘70s what Bill Parcells did for the team in the ‘90s. He delivered the franchise’s first 11-win season in 1976 and earned a home playoff game after winning the division in 1978. It was the first time in franchise history that we hosted a playoff game. He introduced the 3-4 defense to the NFL during his Patriots tenure, which remains a part of his NFL legacy. It is a sad day for a generation of Patriots fans who enjoyed his era of coaching. My thoughts and prayers are with the Fairbanks family and all who mourn his loss.”

Fairbanks played football in college at Michigan State, and went on to coach a Michigan high school football team after graduating. In 1958 he stepped up to an assistant coaching position at Arizona State University and went on to be a coaching assistant for the University of Houston and the University of Oklahoma.

In 1967 Fairbanks became the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. He led the team to three Big Eight Conference titles before leaving to become the head coach of the Patriots in 1973. Fairbanks had mixed success in the NFL, and returned to college football in 1979 as the head coach of the University of Colorado football team.

When AT&T announced its Galaxy S 4 contract pricing, I wondered which version of the phone it would be selling. Samsung has said that the Galaxy S 4 will be available in 16, 32 and 64 GB models; all of which can be expanded through a memory card. I asked AT&T which model consumers would get for $249.99 with contract and just received an email reply, which is also shown on the company’s blog.

Per AT&T:  ”The 32GB model will be $249.99 with a two-year commitment and the 16GB model will be $199.99 with a two-year commitment.”

That pricing makes sense, given that the carrier is also offering a 32 GB version of the HTC One smartphone for $199.99 with contract. Both the One and Galaxy S 4 have similar hardware components, but as I mentioned earlier today on our weekly podcast, the HTC One doesn’t offer expandable storage as it has no micro SD card slot.

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Well, perhaps you may have heard something about this project, but it hasn’t exactly made mainstream news. However, the Digital Public Library of America is gearing up for its big launch day and the organization has lofty goals. The project has been in the works since 2010, when it was conceived by Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

The primary objective is to bring together the holdings of America’s research libraries, archives, and museums all in one online location. Several state libraries, including most recently South Carolina, have pledged to add their historical collections to the archive. There has also been a pledge of more than 10,000 digital images from museums.

While the DPLA site is already online, the official launch date has been set for April 18th. According to Robert Darnton of the New York Review of Books, “Thanks to the Internet and a pervasive if imperfect system of education, we now can realize the dream of Jefferson and Franklin. We have the technological and economic resources to make all the collections of all our libraries accessible to all our fellow citizens — and to everyone everywhere with access to the World Wide Web”.

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services have helped to finance the project, but so far it has been unable to bring the Library of Congress on board. The service will be free to use when it launches later this month and should provide a wealth of information for students and those who are simply curious.

In our last post, we asked the question, “What’s the connection between counting squares and innovation?” In order to come up with the answer, we presented you with the following figure and asked you how many squares you could find. It turns out, the answer isn’t so simple.

It was clear that this was a fun, engaging exercise, as we had 400 comments in the HBR blog post, an additional 312 comments in Facebook, and about 40 individual email responses. We enjoyed reading the comments and seeing the enthusiasm with which you wrote them. Given the number of good responses, we could not choose the top five; instead, we will be giving a copy of Reverse Innovation to 20 winners.

How you arrive at the answer can make a big difference in what you find. In the first “systematic” analysis, we can find 30 squares.

16 (1×1 squares) + 9 (2×2 squares) + 4 (3×3 squares) + 1 (4×4 square) = 30 squares.

The squares were always there, but you didn’t find them until you look for them. At first glance, you can easily see 16 squares. But the reality as it appears to be is often different from the reality as it is — 30 squares. You need to spend time and dig deeper to understand the reality as it is. Innovative solutions are always there for the problems we face, but you won’t find them unless you look for them.

There is a method to the madness (systematically going through 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, and 4×4 squares in this case). It takes time to find the method, but when you do, it opens up many more solutions and opportunities for any innovation problem. To quote one of the commenters, “We need to look beyond what meets the eye and what we are told, for more innovative perspectives both on the problem as well as the solutions born out of detachment to either.”

But can we do even better than a systematic analysis? On a more creative note, there are 30 squares with black edges and 30 squares with white edges. We’ve now discovered 60 squares. Out-of-the-box thinking can open up even more solutions. The foundation of systematic method, combined with out-of-the-box thinking, can result in order-of-magnitude change in performance. There were several creative replies with many more squares, all the way to infinity. Thank you for stretching our thinking. There are no limits to out-of-the box thinking. Only our own imagination is the limiting factor. To quote on of the commenters, “Don’t think it’s impossible, stretch the limits, bend the rules without breaking them — be curious — seek something new — have fun!”

Titan, an Indian company that is part of the giant industrial conglomerate the Tata group, used this theory in practice. Titan wanted to make a new watch, one that someone could use every day. It needed to meet the demands of everyday use under tough conditions in India — water-resistant and able to withstand heat and dust. At the same time, they wanted it to look elegant and ultraslim. Even the Swiss, the leaders in watch manufacturing, thought this was impossible. A watch can either be water-resistant or ultraslim, but it can’t be both. Why? In order to make a watch ultraslim, they must miniaturize the battery. But to make the watch water-resistant, the back cover has to be sealed, making it difficult to replace the battery. A miniaturized battery has a shorter lifespan and would require frequent replacement. Hence, water-resistance and ultraslimness were considered irreconcilable goals.

To the team at Titan, this only meant that they needed to redouble their efforts. They applied breakthrough thinking to resolve what were thought to be design tradeoffs with “and” thinking. They looked at three main components of the watch:

1. The glass cover: The team had the choice between a thick, strong glass casing or a thin glass casing that was flimsy. In the end, they reconciled the paradox and found a solution that was both thin and strong: sapphire crystal glass. It was thin, attractive, and at the same time sturdy. Like the squares in our puzzle, the sapphire crystal glass was always there (the properties of sapphire crystal glass were well-known), but nobody found them until Titan looked for them systematically.
2. The metal casing: Here, they had to choose between a thick, water-resistant cover and a thin cover that was not water-resistant. They resolved this tradeoff by using titanium. It was thin, sturdy, and could provide a water-resistant casing.
3. The battery: As mentioned above, water-resistant means the back casing had to be completely sealed, causing battery changes to be difficult. So they had to double battery life while at the same time miniaturizing the battery. They looked systematically at ways to have a small battery that still did not have to be changed frequently. In other words, they found the 30 extra squares in the puzzle. In doing so, they drastically reduced the movements in the watch, so the battery had less work to do. They also innovated on a motor design that reduced power consumption by 50%, thereby again extending battery life. Finally, they identified a supplier who could miniaturize the battery without any loss in battery life. Thus, Titan ended up with a miniaturized battery that had 200% of the life of a normal battery!

Some of the solutions Titan uncovered were well-known. However, they used systematic thinking to achieve dramatic improvements. They complemented the systematic analysis with out-of-the-box thinking. The end result was the Edge line of watches from Titan that were very successful. The watch was 3.35 mm thin, encompassing a movement that has only 1.15 mm thickness and weighs less than 36 grams. The watch won multiple awards, and thanks in part to the Edge’s success, Titan is now the fifth largest watch manufacturer in the world.

Breakthrough innovation isn’t easy, and while systematic approaches help, taking it a step further with out-of-the-box thinking can lead to new, different, and in some cases, award-winning solutions. So when you’re staring at your next innovation puzzle, don’t stop at 30 squares. Think creatively to find what other solutions may be hiding in plain sight.

Rosetta Stone has acquired Seattle-based online language-learning community Livemocha, paying $8.5 million in cash. Livemocha will remain in Seattle.

PRESS RELEASE
Rosetta Stone announced today that it has acquired Seattle-based Livemocha, one of the world’s largest online language-learning communities, for $8.5 million in cash. Bringing with it a robust and extensible cloud-based learning platform and a community of over 16 million Livemocha members, the transaction accelerates Rosetta Stone’s transition to cloud-based learning solutions and reinforces its leadership position in the competitive language-learning industry.

“We are in the process of transforming Rosetta Stone to be the most dynamic and ubiquitous technology-based learning platform in the world,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Swad. “Our acquisition of Livemocha will help accelerate that transformation. With Livemocha and its vibrant online community on our side, Rosetta Stone will reach more people and change more lives than ever before.”

With members hailing from 195 different countries, the Livemocha community boasts over 16 million people—including language experts, instructors and multi-linguists—all teaching, learning and interacting online. The company has pioneered the use of crowd-sourcing to drive content development and social engagement in the realm of language learning. The combined strength of the Livemocha community and Rosetta Stone’s innovative product development and marketing capabilities uniquely positions the company to meet the changing needs of learners around the world.

“Rosetta Stone is a marvelous partner for us,” said Livemocha CEO Michael Schutzler, who will assist in post-acquisition integration efforts as a senior advisor to Rosetta Stone CEO Swad. “From the beginning, Livemocha’s mission has been to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. Rosetta Stone’s brand, resources and reach will enable us to continue that mission.”

Livemocha will remain in Seattle. Having recently established product development offices in Austin, TX, and San Francisco, CA, the new location expands Rosetta Stone’s US footprint—an important factor in attracting talent to fuel the company’s development of new products. Indeed, Livemocha’s sophisticated and flexible technology platform is expected to be part of the foundation for the next wave of Rosetta Stone solutions.

“Livemocha will enable us to quickly migrate our legacy products to a future-proof technology stack with a modern, cloud-based architecture and contemporary means of distribution,” said Rosetta Stone Chief Product Officer West Stringfellow. “But even more exciting, it gives our customers more choice. Livemocha presents us with a low-cost or even free alternative product to offer learners around the world. It becomes a ‘ladder of learning and value’ for our customers.”

To be sure, geographic expansion is an attractive feature of the acquisition. While Livemocha does add to Rosetta Stone’s already premier presence in the US, its high concentrations of users in China, Russia and South America—particularly Brazil—make it an even more compelling complement to Rosetta Stone’s international footprint. Livemocha’s worldwide community brings vibrant connectivity to Rosetta Stone’s existing hubs in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

“However you view it—geographically, operationally, technologically, culturally—Rosetta Stone and Livemocha are a terrific fit,” said Rosetta Stone CEO Swad. “This acquisition will enable both organizations to grow and deliver value faster and more effectively than either could alone. This is a good deal for our business, a good deal for our customers, and a good deal for language learners all over the world.”

About Rosetta Stone Inc.

Rosetta Stone Inc. provides cutting-edge interactive technology that is changing the way the world learns languages. The company’s proprietary learning techniques—acclaimed for their power to unlock the natural language-learning ability in everyone—are used by schools, businesses, government organizations and millions of individuals around the world. Rosetta Stone offers courses in 30 languages, from the most commonly spoken (like English, Spanish and Mandarin) to the less prominent (including Swahili, Swedish and Tagalog). The company was founded in 1992 on the core beliefs that learning to speak a language should be a natural and instinctive process, and that interactive technology can activate the language immersion method powerfully for learners of any age. Rosetta Stone is based in Arlington, VA, and has offices in Harrisonburg, VA, Boulder, CO, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Sao Paulo and Dubai.

The post Rosetta Stone Buys Seattle-based Livemocha appeared first on peHUB.

Zynga Poker is one of the game developers’ most popular titles, but it still doesn’t provide players with the ability to play with real money. That won’t change for players in the U.S., as online gambling is illegal, but it will be possible for our friends in the UK starting today.

Zynga announced that ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino will be launching as downloadable and Web versions today. The games, powered by bwin.party, will give of age UK citizens the chance to blow all their money on simulated gambling. The games will also be available on mobile and Facebook later in the year.

Here’s what interested players can look forward to: