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  • Report: The CIA and Amazon are in cahoots over secret cloud

    Now here’s a story that will probably never get confirmed:  Federal Computer Week is reporting that the Central Intelligence Agency has contracted cloud kingpin Amazon Web Services to build a cloud for the super secret spy agency.

    The report, as you might expect, doesn’t name its sources, but contends that Amazon will help build private cloud infrastructure that will enable the CIA to “keep up with emerging technologies like big data in a cost-effective manner not possible under the CIA’s previous cloud efforts.” The contract is for up to $600 million over the next 10 years, according to FCW, which said neither Amazon nor the CIA would comment.

    A CIA spokesman, as expected, declined comment saying: “As a general rule, the CIA does not publicly disclose details of our contracts, the identities of our contractors, the contract values, or the scope of work.”

    Here’s the thing though. A collaboration like this makes sense for the CIA, given the U.S. government’s big “cloud first” initiative, which holds that the use of cloud computing technologies will save money and make government more responsive and flexible to its constituencies. And it would give Amazon a test bed to show — at least within the tight-lipped intelligence community — that it can build mission-critical and super secure private clouds for their use.

    Amazon, as well as some legacy IT players,  has struggled on that whole private cloud front. Amazon Web Services launched Virtual Private Cloud capabilities four years ago and last week said it is broadening their use. It also hosts GovCloud, which is cordoned off from the rest of AWS, for government accounts.

    For what it’s worth, Amazon’s biggest and oldest data center farm, US-East, is in Ashburn, Virg., and it is reportedly expanding its presence there with another huge data center farm. The CIA is based about 20 miles away in Langley, Virg.

    I will update this story if I hear back from Amazon and this is something we’ll be sure to ask  Ira “Gus” Hunt,  CTO of the Central Intelligence Agency, when he speaks Wednesday at GigaOM’s Structure Data event in New York. I’m betting he keeps mum.

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  • Can Light Make You More Honest at Work?

    If waking up this past week was harder than usual for you, you are not alone. Although daylight saving time throws our circadian rhythms out of sync, the ongoing rationale for changing the world’s clocks twice each year has been energy savings. And recent national study suggests that there may be another benefit: crime reduction.

    Researchers from University of Virginia and College of William and Mary examined how daylight saving time influences crime rates in the U.S. using data from the three weeks before and after the springtime switch over a four-year period. Their analyses revealed some compelling results: daylight saving time reduced robbery by 51 percent, rape rates by 56 percent, and murder by 43 percent. The researchers estimated that since 2007 the daylight saving time resulted in over $550 million in avoided social costs of crime per year. More lighting, the researchers argue, increases the likelihood of being seen by witnesses (or the police), which in turn discourages crimes.

    Empirical evidence seems to support their argument: research from the ’60s and ’70s shows that criminal assaults are most frequent during hours of darkness and that dark rooms promote aggressive behavior. Darkness promotes criminal activities by producing anonymity, as dishonesty is more likely when offenders cannot be identified.

    My colleagues Chen-Bo Zhong, Vanessa K. Bohns, and I wanted to investigate the extent to which lighting conditions would affect people’s honesty within organizations. If darkness spurred society’s criminal element, would it have the same effect on well-intentioned and apparently trustworthy employees?

    In one laboratory experiment, we placed participants in a dimly or well-lit room and asked them to complete 20 math problems under time pressure. The participants received a cash bonus for every correct answer. Since we were interested in whether darkness affects cheating rates, we left it up to the participants to score their own work and to pay themselves from a supply of money they had received at the beginning of the study. While there was no difference in actual performance on the math problems, almost 61 percent of the participants in the slightly dim room cheated while “only” 24 percent of those in a well-lit room did. Eight additional fluorescent lights in the room where the study took place reduced dishonesty by about 37 percent.

    We wanted to take this one step further. Was it the lighting levels that changed behavior or perceptions of the lighting levels? To figure this out, we introduced sunglasses into the equation. In another experiment, some participants wore a pair of sunglasses and others wore clear glasses while interacting with an ostensible stranger in a different room (in actuality they interacted with the experimenter). Each participant had $6 to allocate between him- or herself and the recipient and could keep what he or she didn’t offer. Participants wearing sunglasses were more selfish: the amount of money they gave was 14 percent less than the amount shared by those wearing clear glasses. In addition, they reported feeling more anonymous during the study.

    A dark alley actually provides some anonymity to criminals. But in this research, darkness had no bearing on actual anonymity — yet it still increased dishonesty and other morally questionable behaviors. The experience of darkness may thus induce a sense of anonymity that is disproportionate from actual anonymity in a given situation. In fact, follow-up research has found that brightness increases self-awareness, reflective behavior, and self-control.

    I am not suggesting we flood executives’ offices with light to promote ethical behavior. But we should probably pay more attention to the many ways in which we are in the dark. Our work life is full of such situations: we may feel anonymous when we communicate via e-mail, when we post information online without revealing our identity (hello, internet trolls!), or when we work remotely rather than in the office. So, the next time you are on your computer to chat or text, you may consider raising the blinds and ask the person on the other end to do the same. More generally, being aware of the factors that make you feel you are in the dark will help you follow your moral compass.

  • Drawn to Scale wants to solve your MongoDB scalability problems

    If you love MongoDB but are tired of trying to scale it past a handful of machines and a few hundred gigabytes, database startup Drawn to Scale says it has you covered. The company has expanded the functionality of its distributed data platform from SQL to MongoDB, meaning users of the popular NoSQL database can import their data to Spire and see high performance on hundreds of terabytes.

    Drawn to Scale’s flagship product, called Spire, is a distributed data platform that’s built atop an optimized version of the Hadoop-based HBase database. HBase is what lets Spire scale cheaply and easily across. Its fully distributed index is what lets Spire read and write data at speeds that other approaches to scaling databases (e.g., sharding) can’t handle while maintaining the ability to handle rich queries.

    To date, the company has been focused on letting users run massive SQL databases, but it has finally completed a lengthy process of rewriting parts of MongoDB to work with Spire, Founder and CEO Bradford Stephens (who’ll be participating in our Structure: Data event this week in New York) told me. The company had been keeping the work under tight wraps “because we didn’t know how long it was going to take to build,” he added.

    SpireMongo-230x300“Our big vision for the market is providing people with a universal data platform,” Stephens said. After SQL — which accounts for the vast majority of databases in existence — MongoDB is a logical next step (although Spire also supports queries using Hadoop MapReduce). It’s the most-widely used NoSQL database by a longshot, but although many users love its functionality and tooling, the database is notoriously poor at scaling to meet the demands of big data or high performance.

    “You just sort of top out once you max out the memory,” Stephens explained, adding that MongoDB often starts getting inefficient as it’s forced to scale across 50 or 10 servers. “[T]hat’s where we start getting efficient.”

    Now, without changing a single line of code, he claims, MongoDB users can import their data onto Spire and start handing 200-plus terabytes with ease. Of course, he noted, this doesn’t mean MongoDB users will abandon the database entirely. It might be they keep it for running applications that don’t require it to scale beyond a single server, and then use Spire to store big data for analytical purposes.

    Initially, Spire will just support data importation and the basic CRUD (create, read, update, delete) functions of MongoDB, Stephens said. Later this year, assuming users want it, Drawn to Scale will implement MongoDB’s native MapReduce functionality as well as its management features.

    As data volumes and data stores continue to proliferate, though, Drawn to Scale isn’t the only startup trying to provide a one-stop shop experience. At least for analytics, Citus Data is building a Postgres-based database capable of analyzing SQL, Hadoop and MongoDB data, although each data store remains external. And there’s a whole group of companies merging SQL and Hadoop for analytic workloads that might be wise to consider supporting operational data stores such as MongoDB, as well.

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  • Carnie Wilson: Disorder Revealed Via Twitter

    Last year, Carnie Wilson, the famous pop singer and actress, stated that she had lost significant weight after undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Now, Wilson has revealed another very personal condition to her Twitter followers. The singer told fans on March 14 that she is currently suffering from Bell’s Palsy on the left side of her face.

    Bell’s Palsy is a facial paralysis comes from nerve damage that can be caused by a variety of factors, including strokes. In Wilson’s case, she has revealed that the condition is only temporary and that she has had the condition before, 14 years ago.

    In the time since Wilson revealed her condition, she has provided updates assuring fans that things are getting better. Just today Wilson tweeted that her “smile is 70% back.”

    Wilson is best known as a member of the pop group Wilson Phillips, along with Wendy Wilson, and Chynna Phillips. Wilson Phillips’ most well-known hit is “Hold On,” which topped the pop music charts in 1990:

    As a bonus, enjoy this drag queen version of the song, which was created during the gay-rights related eat-ins and kiss-ins at Chick-Fil-A last year:

  • The debate about Graham Hancock’s talk

    At TEDxWhitechapel on January 13, 2013, Graham Hancock gave a passionately argued talk in which he described the transformative impact that ayahuasca (containing the drug DMT) had had on him and argued that responsible adult usage of such drugs was a fundamental right. The talk was viewed more than 130,000 times on YouTube.

    TED’s scientific advisors who viewed the talk expressed to us grave concerns about it. For example, it suggests a world view in which DMT can connect users directly to “seemingly intelligent entities which communicate with us telepathically.” Graham Hancock does state he makes no claim to the reality status of these entities, but he also argues that they can teach and heal us, claims that are well outside orthodox scientific thinking.

    Our advisors recommended that the talk be should not be distributed without being framed with caution. So… this is that caution. We invite scientists, skeptics, knowledge-seekers and supporters — and Graham himself, if he’s willing — to join in a conversation over this talk.

    Is this an idea worth spreading, or misinformation? Good science or bad science? What’s the evidence for either position?

    There’s only one rule for the conversation. Comments need to be phrased in respectful terms. Those that are intemperate or unnecessarily insulting will be removed.

    Join the conversation here, where it’s possible to upvote comments, sort by recency or rating, and see all comments in one page. We look forward to the discussion.

  • HTC has suddenly become very easy to root for

    HTC Underdog Status
    You really can’t blame HTC (2498) for being frustrated right now. The company clearly put a lot of thought and effort into crafting its HTC One flagship smartphone, which not only features an eye-catching 4.7-inch full-HD display with a pixel density of 468 ppi, but also comes with a high-quality aluminum unibody design and a host of new features intended to improve its oft-criticized Sense Android skin. But despite all of this hard work, the company has once again been pushed aside by yet another plastic Samsung (005930) slab that will likely outsell the HTC One by tens of millions of units.

    Continue reading…

  • Westly Group raises a $160M (gasp) cleantech fund

    Not all venture capitalists are fleeing the cleantech sector. On Tuesday The Westly Group — the fund managed by former California controller Steve Westly — announced that it’s closed on a $160 million fund that it will invest into cleantech companies. The firm raised funds from investors like Citi, E.ON and SK Group.

    The firm’s previous fund was for $127 million, and the Westly Group has been working on raising this current fund for awhile (since mid 2011). Originally the fund was targeted at $175 million. The Westly Group is a little different from other investment firms in that it says its principals have invested more than $50 million of their own money into the company’s funds over the years.

    We drive the new Tesla Model S thumbnail

    The firm has been one of the more successful cleantech investors out there. Three of The Westly Group’s portfolio companies have gone public on the NASDAQ, including electric car company Tesla, biofuel company Amyris, and Chinese recycling company China Recycling Energy Corporation (CREG). The firm says on its website that “at the end of 2010, we had returned nearly all of invested capital to our limited partners.”

    Not all of the Westly Group’s startups have done well, of course. Solar company Amonix has been struggling. Waste-to-fuel startup Enerkem withdrew its IPO plans last year.

    With this fund, The Westly Group joins the elite club of venture firms that will continue to make new cleantech investments, including Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital and Braemar Energy Ventures.

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  • Find Your Next Growth Market


    Nilofer Merchant, author of 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era, outlines the steps to reach new customers.

  • View Landing Pages From AdSense Ad Review Center

    Google announced a new feature for the AdSense ad review center, which lets you check landing pages for ads from within your account. This builds on a recent announcement, which let you search for ads by images.

    “If you’re looking for more insight into your users’ experience with the ads on your site, the landing page view offers you a quick and easy view of what users see when clicking on an ad,” explains AdSense software engineer Pedro Diaz. “This in turn will help you make a more informed decision about whether or not an ad is suitable for your audience.”

    Ad Review Center - Landing Pages

    You can find the feature when you log in to your AdSense account, and go to the “Allow and block ads” tab. Hover over ads, and you’ll see a small magnifying glass in the corner, which will show you the landing page preview.

    The feature is only available in accounts with English set as the language preference, though it will roll out to other languages in time.

  • Apple issues fix for lock screen bug with iOS 6.1.3 update

    If the idea of someone bypassing your lock screen — even with an overly tedious combination of taps and swipes — makes you nervous, you’re going to want to make sure to get the latest software update for iOS 6.

    On Tuesday Apple pushed iOS 6.1.3, which fixes a bug that could allow someone to access a locked iPhone even without knowing the phone’s password. The security flaw was discovered in February by an iPhone owner, who then posted his findings to YouTube. Apple acknowledged the bug at the time and said it would be fixed in a software update.

    iOS 6.1.3 update also included various but unspecified “improvements” to the Apple Maps app for users in Japan.

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  • ‘Haunted’ Car Parts Allegedly Pulled from Fatal Ryan Dunn Crash For Sale on Craigslist

    This is a weird one.

    As you may remember, Jackass star Ryan Dunn drunkenly crashed his Porsche in West Goshen, Pennsylvania back in the summer of 2011, killing himself and his passenger.

    And apparently, someone recovered some small parts from the crash and is attempting to sell them on Craigslist.

    Joe.ie tipped me to the posting, which comes from Philadelphia. It offers up the parts (small enough to fit inside a shoebox) for $300.

    Apparently, the original collector doesn’t want them anymore – because they may be haunted.

    “A week after the accident I went to the accident and scooped up minor parts I saw lying on the ground. The parts are all remotely tiny, and all fit in a shoebox. I don’t want them anymore because weird shit has happened since I put it under my bed. I guess it’s because it’s a weird thing to have, but I was a huge Jackass fan and thought it would be a cool something to have. If you want proof they are his parts, I have pictures of the crash site I took myself,” reads the ad.

    We’ve tried to contact the poster and will let you know if we find anything else out. I guess you really can find anything on Craigslist.

  • Big, fast, accountable results now, Mr President!

    We need accountability Mr. President!

    Tanzanian President Dr. Jakaya Kikwete looked bemused as we greeted him with a classroom-like chorus; “Welcome to the education lab, Mr President!”

    The education ‘laboratory’ was one of six that government leaders visited in a conference facility on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam.  Down the corridor, other labs were thrashing out topics including water, agriculture, energy, transport and revenue collection; collectively six (with education) priority sectors that need to dramatically improve performance and quickly deliver results needed for Tanzania’s sustainable growth and poverty alleviation.

    The 2012 census charts a booming population – up a staggering 10.5 million to around 45 million people in just 10 years.  With the population projected to double in just another 26 years, that’s a lot more schools, roads, water pipes, electricity and food needed just to keep up, let alone create jobs and economic growth that can lift many more Tanzanians out of poverty.

    The Big Fast Results initiative is a Malaysian concept that uses labs to bring together around 30 sector experts from a range of backgrounds to work collaboratively together for 8 weeks.  They diagnose constraints, identify strategies that can quickly improve the situation and then construct detailed implementation plans and budgets to deliver tangible change in the coming two years.  The process is being led and facilitated by a team from the Malaysian Prime Minster’s Performance and Delivery Unit PEMANDU that under Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Sri Idris Jala have achieved impressive results in their home country and are now eager to share the approach in a productive South – South Knowledge Exchange.

    South South Leadership Exchange

    A key lab concept I learnt was that in ‘labspeak’ we typically plan from 30,000 feet (high up in plane, no detail), but that a 3 feet plan (a very detailed large scale map, skimming the surface) is needed to make sure responsibilities are properly assigned and understood. Equally important is political buy-in to budget, release and monitor government funds to implement the plans. In week 3 of the lab I was astounded to see that the Vice-President came on Monday, the Prime Minister on Wednesday and a full presidential delegation on the Friday –  this was unlike any education planning event I had been to before!

    Absent Teachers Piechart

    Will it work or fizzle away to pipe dreams?  Well the sceptic in me was pleased to see the right issues being raised and some promising solutions proposed.  Teacher motivation is very low and leads to average teacher attendance rates of only 50% as a recent survey showed, no wonder student exam results have plummeted.   Both the President and the PEMANDU CEO welcomed low cost accountability measures (Tanzania has joined the Open Government Partnership under Dr. Kikwete).  Empowering headteachers with toolkits to let them truly lead and manage schools was proposed, balanced with publicly ranking school performance using traffic light colour schemes and scorecards.  Measuring the basic learning ‘3R’ skills of early grade students and offering remedial classes for those who had fallen behind also makes a lot of sense, but how will teacher training and extra study be rapidly organised and paid for?  Telling was another poster that highlighted the volume of funds, both government and development part that needed to be ‘unlocked’ from red tape that for two years had impeded the development of new community secondary schools.

    Within another 5 weeks of the labs to run, I hope that the detailed, achieveable 3 feet plans emerge without crash landing and that the political leadership and goodwill generated can translate into action that can re-energise Tanzania to deliver for its people.  Spending a long time in South East Asia before my current ‘DFID Africa’ days, I have seen the Asian tigers in action and it will be most welcome to see the best of their approach be translated into transformative action for Africa.  Our regular sector dialogue and planning process has felt jaded and perhaps too driven by western donors at times, so perhaps this is what’s needed to get homegrown action that the government and people of Tanzania can believe in?

    I wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention the fact that DFID is assisting to finance the Big Results Now! Labs, following a visit President Kikwete made to see the Malaysian approach in action.  We hope that it can inject some life and accountable results delivery into the Tanzanian development scene.   Hopefully I’ll be able to report something ‘big and fast’ in the not too distant future!

  • Skype For Windows Phone 8 Gets HD Video Calling

    Skype for Windows Phone 8 is still in preview, and as such, it’s not exactly the best it can be at this point in time. The team is working on it though, and has provided a new update today that should make your mobile video calling experience more enjoyable.

    The Skype team announced today that Skype for Windows Phone 8 now supports HD video calling up to 720p. The video quality has even been improved for those on lower end devices with the app now supporting VGA video. You won’t have to worry about setting up video quality settings either as the app will automatically detect your connection speed and choose the appropriate quality.

    Other enhancements to video chat include the addition of a landscape mode for calls, as well as the ability to switch between the front and back cameras during a call.

    The People Hub on Windows Phone 8 is now integrated into Skype as well. In other words, users no longer have to start up the Skype app to start calling people. Users can now call their Skype contacts straight from the People Hub.

    Skype on Windows Phone 8 will now also allow users to switch between accounts by simply tapping on the profile picture. This change was a result of user feedback and Skype says it welcomes such feedback going into the future as it works to add more features to Skype for Windows Phone 8.

    Finally, the Skype team has applied a number of fixes to the app to correct a number of errors that users were experiencing:

    Skype for Windows Phone 8 Gets HD Video Calling

    You can grab the latest version of Skype for Windows Phone 8 here.

  • ZTE and Intrepidus partner on smartphone security issue

    zte-grand-memo

    You may have noticed in recent months that there is a big push on the part of smartphone manufacturers to sell the “security” of their devices. This is needed to obtain greater acceptance in the corporate world and to encourage consumers to use their devices for secure transactions. The latest manufacturer to join the frenzy is ZTE, the world’s fourth largest smartphone producer. Today ZTE announced a partnership with Intrepidus to evaluate the security mechanisms of ZTE devices. Intrepidus is a security testing company that specifically focuses on mobile devices, applications, systems and networks.

    According to their press release, ZTE is partnering with Intrepidus to identify vulnerabilities, conduct penetration testing, perform reverse engineering, and review source code. ZTE is pursuing this course because “the need to protect personal information becomes more important each day.” You can check out the full press release after the break.

    ZTE and Intrepidus Announce Partnership to Ensure Smartphone Security

    RICHARDSON, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of mobile handsets, telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced a partnership with leading provider of mobile application and device security services, Intrepidus, an NCC Group company.

    ZTE is the world’s fourth largest smartphone manufacturer and partners with all of the major US carriers. The company has seen tremendous growth in the United States in the past few years and continues to invest heavily in the US market. ZTE has long been regarded as a leader in international standards; in partnering with Intrepidus, ZTE now seeks to become a leader in smartphone security.

    As part of the agreement, Intrepidus will evaluate the security mechanisms of ZTE-manufactured smartphones. This evaluation includes identifying potential vulnerabilities; conducting penetration testing of ZTE device management interfaces and ZTE device features; and performing reverse engineering and source code review. The security testing will enable ZTE to deliver a wide range of smart, stylish choices for smartphone users with the added peace of mind that their device is secure.

    “Our work with Intrepidus stands as an important milestone in handset security,” said Lixin Cheng, CEO, ZTE USA, and President, North America Region, ZTE. “With the increasing number of transactions carried out on smartphones, the need to protect personal information becomes more important each day. At ZTE, we have always been committed to making world-class technology accessible to everyone; now our work with Intrepidus will ensure that our customers can continue to connect in meaningful, innovative and affordable ways without questioning the security of their smartphones.”

    This is the first step in a series of actions the company plans to take regarding smartphone security. ZTE hopes to work closely with carriers, app developers, policymakers and industry organizations to raise awareness among consumers about best practices and guidelines for handset security.

    About ZTE USA

    ZTE USA is a subsidiary of ZTE Corporation (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of mobile handsets, telecommunications equipment and network solutions. ZTE USA is dedicated to making quality communications technology accessible to all. The company draws on more than 25 years of experience and research investment to deliver smart, affordable, quality choices for infrastructure and mobile data device customers nationwide. For more information, visit www.zteusa.com.

    About ZTE

    ZTE is a publicly-listed global provider of mobile handsets, telecommunications equipment and network solutions with the most comprehensive product range covering virtually every sector of the wireline, wireless, service and terminals markets. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 140 countries, helping them to meet the changing needs of their customers while achieving continued revenue growth. ZTE’s 2010 revenue led the industry with a 21% increase to USD10.609 billion. ZTE commits 10 percent of its revenue to research and development and takes a leading role in a wide range of international bodies developing emerging telecoms standards. A company with sound corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, ZTE is a member of the UN Global Compact. ZTE is China’s only listed telecom manufacturer, publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ). For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn.

    About Intrepidus Group

    Expert US security testing company Intrepidus Group, works with organizations to pinpoint and eradicate security flaws in mobile devices, applications, systems and networks.

    A leader in the field of mobile security research, testing & advice, Intrepidus assesses mobile applications, trains developers to code defensively, and evaluates the security mechanisms of cutting edge telecommunications products and smart phone devices.

    Intrepidus was established in 2006 and is part of leading global information assurance organization NCC Group plc.

    For more information, please visit www.intrepidusgroup.com

    Come comment on this article: ZTE and Intrepidus partner on smartphone security issue

  • Walking Dead ‘Dead Yourself’ App Hits Android

    AMC announced that the “Dead Yourself” app, which lets you turn yourself into a walker, has come to Android. AMC says in a blog post:

    For two months AMC’s Dead Yourself app has been taking the world by storm, turning men, women, children and pets into zombies. Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet: Dead Yourself is now available on Android-powered smartphones. Simply download the Dead Yourself app from Google Play, take a photo of yourself, zombify it, then watch as your transformation contributes to the global pandemic.

    The app was previously available for the web and for iOS.

    Dead Yourself

    It’s a big week for fans of the show. The soundtrack was just made available, and the Survival Instinct video game just came out.

    More The Walking Dead fun here.

  • Apple releases iOS 6.1.3 with maps updates, lock screen vulnerability fix

    Apple iOS 6.1.3 Download Link
    Apple (AAPL) on Tuesday released iOS 6.1.3 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The update fixes a recent vulnerability that allowed unauthorized users to bypass a device’s lockscreen. The update also includes several improvements for Apple’s Maps application in Japan. iOS 6.1.3 is available immediately as an over-the-air (OTA) update, and it will be available for download shortly in iTunes.

  • HTC Trolling Samsung Unpacked Leads To ‘One On The Street’ Video

    HTC One

    HTC caused quite a stir last week in New York City where they were showing off the One outside of Samsung Unpacked, and giving away branded cans of Pringles. To no surprise, a video was uploaded to YouTube which shows off the HTC One and gets people’s reactions. Both HTC and Samsung are going head to head with the upcoming release of their next flagship smartphones, and HTC has a lot of work moving forward if they want to recapture Android market share. You can check out the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.

    Click here to view the embedded video.

    Source: HTC Blog

    Come comment on this article: HTC Trolling Samsung Unpacked Leads To ‘One On The Street’ Video

  • Google Shopper For Android, iOS Gets New Search Refinements

    The Google Shopper app for Android and iOS just got a new update with version 3.2, which adds some new search refinement options to make shopping easier.

    “Need a new camera, but aren’t quite sure which one is right for you? Google Shopper 3.2 allows you to see the most popular cameras on Google Shopping via a specialized result page,” explains Google Shopper product manager John-Shriver Blake. “Overwhelmed by choice? Google Shopper 3.2 provides you with the ability to use category-specific refinements to narrow down your search. This means that if you’re looking for a point and shoot camera with a 10 Megapixel sensor, you can easily find the most popular cameras on Google Shopping which include that set of features.”

    Google Shopper

    You can also refine searches by specific brands, stores, prices and other criteria. It will then show you the most popular items based on the criteria you select.

    “Finally, once you’ve narrowed down your query to a few options, Google Shopper allows you to view detailed product information about each so that you can make an informed buying decision,” says Blake. “In addition to reading that information, viewing reviews from across the web or watching video reviews from YouTube, you may find it useful to view multiple high-resolution product images in the new lightbox viewer.”

    The app is available in the Google Play Store, and in the App Store.

  • No CM support for Galaxy S 4? Not so fast says CyanogenMod team

    Samsung_Galaxy_S_IV_TA_Hands_On-630x354

    Earlier today we reported on some members of TeamHacksung expressing an unwillingness to develop a ROM for Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S 4 smartphone. The news certainly set the ‘net abuzz, but it appears the comments may not be as “official” as originally thought. The CyanogenMod Team has posted on their Google+ page a statement indicating no official position had been established regarding the Galaxy S 4 and that one would not be established until the device was available for retail purchases.

    In the posting, the CM team reminds folks that announcements regarding support for devices will be communicated via their official channels on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, or their blog. The CM team also points out the comments from this morning posted by XpLoDWilD were just the opinions of four members of TeamHacksung who do not speak on behalf of CyanogenMod.

    Those looking forward to getting CM running on a Galaxy S 4 can breathe a little easier for now.

    source: +CyanogenMod

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  • Chicken Lays Giant Egg That Contains Another Egg

    Just in time for Easter, the locals in Guizhou, China have been dumbfounded to encounter a chicken that is repeatedly laying monster-sized eggs.

    The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a woman in the Chinese village told reporters that her hen began laying the huge eggs last week, and has produced several of them. She stated that she feeds the chicken rice, as opposed to her other chickens, which get corn. When the first massive egg was laid, she told reporters, she thought the hen was dying.

    The eggs reportedly weigh over twice as much as normal eggs. It’s easy to see why. In the video below the woman and friends crack one of the eggs for cameras, showing that it holds two yolks and an entire other egg within its shell. The nested egg’s yolk brings the total to three yolks – enough for a proper omelette.