| Open source controller framework lets you add the finishing touch Jan 26th 2012, 22:27  There are plenty of off-the-shelf controllers out there, but what if you fancy something a little more... you? How about fully customized, with a good seasoning of affordability and style? Design student Alex S has built a framework to help you build just that. The units shown above are for DJ-based programs, but you can create interfaces for any software that takes HID or MIDI input, and as they're modular, create endless ultra-custom set-ups. Keen to dismantle any technical barriers, Alex created a step-by-step Instructable, but you'll still need to get your hands dirty with Arduino and some circuitry. The whole project is open source, and while it's a step up from Lego, until we can just print these things, it seems like a great option to us. Continue reading Open source controller framework lets you add the finishing touch Open source controller framework lets you add the finishing touch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Hackaday |  Instructables | Email this | Comments | | T-Mobile urges Congress, FCC to keep spectrum auctions competitive Jan 26th 2012, 21:35 T-Mobile may be getting a new batch of spectrum as a result of its failed merger with AT&T, but it's obviously going to always be on the hunt for more, and it's now urging Congress to ensure that the playing field for future auctions is level for all bidders big and small. Specifically, it's asking members of Congress to reconsider some pending legislation that it says would "effectively preclude the FCC from considering existing spectrum holdings in determining the qualifications for participation in auctions." That, it suggests, would put smaller players like itself at a disadvantage to the big spectrum holders in future auctions (namely, AT&T and Verizon), and would represent a drastic break from the past twenty years -- during which it says the FCC has continued to fine-tune it's process to ensure "pro-competitive auction rules." T-Mobile's full case, laid out by VP of Federal Regulatory Affairs Kathleen Ham, can be found at the source link below. T-Mobile urges Congress, FCC to keep spectrum auctions competitive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink SlashGear | T-Mobile | Email this | Comments | | Spotify tops three million paying subscribers, 20 percent of its active user base Jan 26th 2012, 21:18 It hit two million paying subscribers in September of last year and 2.5 million in November, and now Spotify has hit another big milestone. According to the Financial Times, it now has three million subscribers paying for one of its premium services, which reportedly represents more than 20 percent of its active user base. As the FT notes, that percentage is up from 15 percent in March of last year, and Spotify says that its "active" users don't include folks who signed up for a a free trial of its premium service but didn't continue to use the free service. Interestingly, the company also revealed that over half of its paying subscribers are under 30, which Spotify's Ken Parks says is a "remarkable number of people who are generally hard to monetize." Spotify tops three million paying subscribers, 20 percent of its active user base originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Financial Times | Email this | Comments | | Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss Jan 26th 2012, 20:52  Motorola offered a estimate that lowered expectations for its Q4 2011 earnings earlier this month, and it's now out with the final numbers, reporting net revenues of $3.4 billion and a GAAP net loss of $80 million. That's a swing in the opposite direction from $80 million in net earnings during the same quarter a year ago, although the company did achieve the "modest profitability" it had promised on a non-GAAP basis, reporting earnings of $61 million by that accounting standard. Its earlier estimates of device shipments for the quarter also proved to be on the mark, with the company confirming that it shipped 10.5 million mobile devices in total, 5.3 million of which were smartphones. Mobile device shipments for all of 2011 totaled 42.4 million, with 18.7 million of those being smartphones. As for the company's efforts to break into the tablet business, it says it "shipped" 200,000 tablets in Q4 and an even one million during the year, although there's no word on actual sale figures to consumers. Motorola's Sanjay Jha also says that the company remains "energized" about the proposed merger with Google, which is still expected to close in early 2012 (it's also, incidentally, precluded an earnings call for today). Those interested can find all of the company's numbers at the source link below. Continue reading Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Motorola | Email this | Comments | | Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video) Jan 26th 2012, 20:47 Here at Macworld 2012, Western Digital demoed a preview of their essentially finished, yet not final, MyBook Thunderbolt Duo. Scheduled to ship in Q1 for an "aggressive price," the unit plays host to two 3.5-inch drives, which'll come stuffed from the factory in either 4TB (2x 2TB) or 6TB (3x 2TB) configurations. On the outside, you're looking at the MyBook aesthetic you either love or loathe, but around back you'll find all connectivity has been gutted, save for power and two Thunderbolt ports. The latter means that up to six can be daisy-chained off one interconnect, which when setup in RAID 0 equate rather speedy transfers, like 700MB/sec reads and 500MB/sec writes in the four-unit demonstration configuration we toyed with. And it's future proof too, as there's a door up-top which enables plebes to swap drives should the need arise. We'll keep an ear out for pricing, but until that day arrives, peep them in the gallery below, or in video form after the break. Continue reading Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video) Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
