Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget
Engadget
Apple snags a patent for the Smart Cover's magnetic know-how
Mar 20th 2012, 17:19

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No, it doesn't cover the totality of the Smart Cover itself (or any case that folds into a triangle), but Apple has now managed to obtain a patent for one of the accessory's key bits of functionality. First filed in July of 2011 and published by the USPTO today, the patent described as an "accessory device with magnetic attachment" details how magnets can be used in a particular manner to attach a cover to a device (like an iPad) and secure it in place, yet still allow it to be easily released. Again, that doesn't cover all cases that use magnets -- just magnets used in this very specific way. Hit the source link below for all the details in patent-speak.

Apple snags a patent for the Smart Cover's magnetic know-how originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

Study: free apps drain 75 percent more power, badly built advertising to blame
Mar 20th 2012, 16:59

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It's often said there's no such thing as a free lunch and that's doubly the case for free apps. A team from Purdue University found that nearly quarters of the power used when you run an app like Angry Birds is actually used for adverts. It developed eprof, an app that investigates what processes are draining from your battery. Loading it onto the very old-school Android-powered myTouch 3G and Nexus One (not to mention a HTC HyTn II running Windows Mobile 6.5). Drilling down into those Angry Birds figures: the game itself only consumes 18 percent of the power, while advertising platform Flurry has 45 percent and GPS location tracking a further 15 percent. Project leader Abhinav Pathak lays the blame at the feet of poorly coded apps that need to be made significantly more efficient. He's now working with Microsoft to bring his software to Windows Phone and will present his findings at the EuroSys conference in Bern next month. If you don't think you'll be able to give up free apps, just remember to shut down GPS before you start smashing those pigs.

Study: free apps drain 75 percent more power, badly built advertising to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink New Scientist, Cult of Mac  |  sourceAbhinav Pathak, (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Zinio finally hits the PlayBook, becomes your Berry own magazine stand
Mar 20th 2012, 16:34

Zinio finally hits the PlayBook, becomes your Berry own magazine stand
Zinio's had a comfortable spot sitting on the Android and iOS stores for months, but up until now, it'd been steering clear of a certain App World. Fast forward to today and the digital magazine service is staying true to its tweet, at last making its way to that 7-inch BlackBerry slate. The PlayBook flavor brings along the usual traits, including over 5,000 mags in 33 different languages, multiple device syncing, as well as full subscriptions or à la carte issues . Early adopters have already taken the app for a spin, giving it mixed reviews, and you can do the same directly from your two-dot-oh slab or via the source link below.

Zinio finally hits the PlayBook, becomes your Berry own magazine stand originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileSyrup  |  sourceApp World  | Email this | Comments

Porsche 918 hybrid supercar rolls out of our dreams, onto the tarmac
Mar 20th 2012, 16:09

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Concepts, concepts, darned concepts. Teasing us with their curvy lines, and never-to-be-seen futuristic promise. Every once in a while, though, one pops out from the drawing board and into reality -- the Porsche 918 hybrid supercar being one such example. We'll admit we drooled a little when we saw the initial shots, and trembled slightly at the real world concept outed at the Geneva Motor Show 18 months ago. So, knowing it's finally made it out on the track filled us with more than a little glee. It seems development is coming along just fine, with three test versions out in the wild, and our friends over at Autoblog were lucky enough to get a ride in one of them. Sure, it was "only" at half power, so not the full roar of that 770 horsepower engine, but we're still pretty jelly. The $845,000 price tag might make you wince a little, but tears of joy will wash any pain away 3.1 seconds later, as you hit that magical 60mph. You've got until September 18th next year to save up the pennies, or ogle the gallery below.

Porsche 918 hybrid supercar rolls out of our dreams, onto the tarmac originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog  |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments

Apple: don't worry about hot iPad reports, it's cool
Mar 20th 2012, 15:45

All this talk about overheating iPads isn't getting Apple all that excited, apparently. The company issued a fairly noncommittal response on the matter, stating that in spite of the tablet's LTE support, fast processing, battery life and resolutionary display magic, it still "operate[s] well within [Apple's] thermal specifications." That said, if anyone happens to have concern with regards to an overheated lap, "they should contact AppleCare." There may be a chance, after all, that you've been holding it wrong.

Apple: don't worry about hot iPad reports, it's cool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAll Things D  | Email this | Comments

New York Times nears half-million online subscriber mark, halves free article allowance to celebrate
Mar 20th 2012, 15:37

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The New York Times just gave you more reason to consider making the jump to a paid online subscription -- beginning in April, that free article allowance will see a 50-percent cut, from 20 monthly articles to just 10. This modification comes one year after NYTimes.com launched its infamous content paywall, and following an announcement that the publisher has signed up 454,000 digital subscribers. Paying readers will receive a 12-week subscription that they can gift to anyone on the fence about swiping for access, and smartphone and tablet app users will continue to have access to the "Top News" sections for free. You'll also be able to read articles linked from other sites on the web, including your inbox, and can access five free posts a day that appear in search engine results. Completely unfettered access will range in price from $15 to $35 per month -- you'll find full details in the PR just past the break, and at the source link below.

Continue reading New York Times nears half-million online subscriber mark, halves free article allowance to celebrate

New York Times nears half-million online subscriber mark, halves free article allowance to celebrate originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNYTimes.com  | Email this | Comments

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