Thursday, February 23, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget
Engadget
Apple: developers now have until June 1 to sandbox apps for the Mac App Store
Feb 22nd 2012, 17:38

Back in the fall, Apple gave developers an ultimatum: sandbox your applications, or see yourself out of the Mac App Store and sell your apps elsewhere. Originally, devs had until March 1st to make the change, which limits the resources apps can access, thereby making a malware infection less likely. Still, sandboxing inherently means less control for developers: the fewer resources an app can use, the less it can actually do. Well, code monkeys, you've now got a few more months to decide which camp you'd rather be in: Apple has extended that deadline to June 1st. As MacRumors notes, the move comes amid mounting concerns from developers, who have been complaining of bugs and other issues associated with the sandboxing process. In a statement on its developer site, Apple gave a pithier explanation, saying it wants to give devs more time to make use of new sandboxing entitlements available in OS X 10.7.3, along with new APIs in Xcode 4.3.

Apple: developers now have until June 1 to sandbox apps for the Mac App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Techmeme  |  sourceMacRumors, Apple  | Email this | Comments

Pivothead video glasses offer impressive quality, we go hands-on (sample video)
Feb 22nd 2012, 17:06

There's a new adventure video capture company in town, and both Zeyez and GoPro would have good reason to be afraid. You may not have heard of Pivothead -- the company has had a remarkably quiet push to market over the last few months -- but the video recording eyewear startup could very well become a household name after its first products hit the market this April for $349. Aurora, Durango, Moab and Recon may offer distinct exterior designs, but they're virtually identical under the hood. Each model includes an eight-megapixel Sony sensor (that reportedly captures higher quality images than the iPhone 4S cam), a four-element glass lens, 8GB of built-in storage, a 440mAh battery (with about an hour of shooting time) and three video modes: 1080/30p, 720/60p and 720/30p. We had a chance to go hands-on with Pivothead earlier today, and took the glasses for a spin on the streets of New York City. You'll find that sample video, along with our impressions, just past the break.

Continue reading Pivothead video glasses offer impressive quality, we go hands-on (sample video)

Pivothead video glasses offer impressive quality, we go hands-on (sample video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePivothead  | Email this | Comments

Samsung's Learning Hub demonstrates a commitment to education, profits
Feb 22nd 2012, 16:57

Samsung's R&D department has been working overtime as it strives to break the idea it copies wholesale ideas from its competition. Yesterday we heard word about its planned new cloud service and today it's announced that it'll be unveiling a unique education-focused app for Galaxy Tabs 8.9 and 10.1. Learning Hub will provide free materials from 30 major educational establishments from elementary schools through to universities, although there's no word on what certificates you'll be able to earn at the end of your course. The program will expand to other devices in the Galaxy family later on, once the company's done showing off the software at MWC.

Samsung's Learning Hub demonstrates a commitment to education, profits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSamsung Tomorrow (Translated)  | Email this | Comments

Aakash lurches toward another crisis as India loses patience with DataWind
Feb 22nd 2012, 16:37

The conflicts and behind-the-scenes drama surrounding India's Aakash project once again threaten its existence. Despite a record-breaking 1.4 million pre-orders gained in under a fortnight, maker DataWind has only shipped 10,000 units to nearly universal derision. Early adopters have found the processor too slow, battery life too short and the resistive touchscreen difficult to use. Kapil Sibal's Human Resource Development ministry now plans to re-open tendering for a replacement contractor and withdraw DataWind's deal for a further 90,000 units. An anonymous ministry official has said that they've seen "sufficient interest [...] to get better specifications at the same or lower price."

In response, DataWind has claimed that its development-partner, the Indian Institute of Technology, pulled a bait-and-switch, demanding at the eleventh hour that the tablet meet US military criteria for durability -- including being able to withstand four inches per hour of "sustained rain." Work has been on hold since then but neither party can afford another delay. DataWind promised it would sell the commercial version of the slate this month, while Kapil Sibal has promised that a second edition of the Aakash would be announced in April.

Aakash lurches toward another crisis as India loses patience with DataWind originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

Google and Adobe team up to make Flash Player for Linux
Feb 22nd 2012, 16:19

Google and Adobe team up to make Flash Player for LinuxLinux may no longer be getting any more fresh Air, but it's going to get a heaping helping of Flash thanks to a partnership between Adobe and Google. You see, Adobe's been developing a new browser API for Flash, code-named "Pepper," which can provide Flash Player 11.2 in Chrome on any x86/64 platform -- including Linux. From now on, Linux users will get new versions of Flash directly through the Pepper API in Chrome (as opposed to a download from Adobe), but Adobe promises to provide security updates for five years after its release. Don't believe us? Get the good news direct from Adobe at the source below.

Google and Adobe team up to make Flash Player for Linux originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAdobe  | Email this | Comments

Tesla Roadster EVs accused of 'bricking,' Tesla responds
Feb 22nd 2012, 16:15

Tesla Roadster
Last night we were sent an interesting report about Tesla Roadsters falling into an unfortunate state -- a very terminal, very expensive state. According to theunderstatement a Tesla Roadster that is left to discharge completely, a process that could take many weeks, will need to have its entire battery pack replaced (pictured above) -- at a cost of approximately $40,000. There are said to be no countermeasures that can prevent this short of keeping your car topped up, and while that may sound simple enough, it becomes tricky if you need to put the thing in storage for a few months.

While we haven't been able to confirm all the "several" supposed cases of this happening, we did hear back from Tesla issuing a statement (after the break) that more or less affirms this could happen. Tesla uses a number of so-called "countermeasures" to prevent this, up to and including a representative from the company calling the owner should a battery pack trail dangerously low. Worryingly, though, this situation is said to be possible in both the upcoming Model S sedan and Model X SUV. Here's to hoping for a little more clarity on this issue -- and maybe a solution -- before those two come to market.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Tesla Roadster EVs accused of 'bricking,' Tesla responds

Tesla Roadster EVs accused of 'bricking,' Tesla responds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcetheunderstatement  | Email this | Comments

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