| Royal Canadian Mint aims to kickstart digital currency with MintChip developer challenge Apr 5th 2012, 12:36  Bitcoin may not have yet grown much beyond a relatively small base of enthusiasts, but it looks like the Royal Canadian Mint is hoping that its backing will help its own new digital currency catch on in a bigger way. While less decentralized and different than BitCoin in a number of other respects, it is similarly an all-digital currency, and one that requires no personal data to be shared during transactions. Those transactions can be both large and very small (with an emphasis on the latter), and handled in a variety of ways, including over the web or directly between two devices with the necessary hardware (a MintChip-enabled microSD card is one proposed option). While a more formal unveiling is apparently coming later this month, the Mint has already kicked off a challenge where it's inviting developers to create applications that use MintChip technology -- something that, for the near future, will only be available to said developers. Complete details on it can be found at the link below. Royal Canadian Mint aims to kickstart digital currency with MintChip developer challenge originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Hacker News |  MintChip Challenge | Email this | Comments | | Samsung: We're still not into 3D smartphones Apr 5th 2012, 12:02 By now you may have already seen a handful of "leaks" on Samsung's imminent Galaxy S III, but if you ask us, they all smell like a cruel prank on anticipating fans. As far as we're concerned, the only reliable tidbits so far are the GT-i9300 and GT-i9308 codenames (the latter likely a TD-SCDMA variant for China Mobile) on Samsung's support page; along with murmurs from executives about a certain quad-core chipset and a release date. Funnily enough, we just received the following statement from Sammy who's probably not too happy about some of the speculations out there: Although Samsung Electronics is constantly exploring new technologies for our mobile devices, we have no immediate plan to include displays featuring 3D technology in our upcoming smartphones. So there you have it: the upcoming Galaxy S III, along with its new siblings, definitely won't feature a 3D display; and you can certainly forget that 4-inch 3D handset we heard about last February. Unless, of course, LG can convince its Korean buddy to think otherwise. Samsung: We're still not into 3D smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Huawei Mercury for Cricket gains unlimited Muve Music service, challenges aural appetites Apr 5th 2012, 11:00 Consider it a bit of a rebirth. Cricket's premiere smartphone, the Huawei Mercury -- known elsewhere as the Honor -- has just taken on a new life as a member of the carrier's Muve Music lineup. Beginning today, current owners may add the unlimited music subscription service to their phone via an over-the-air download. The requisite Muve Music plan is available for $65/month, which is a $10 premium over the carrier's traditional no-contract Android offering. The service comes with unlimited music downloads, ringtones and ringback tones, along with unlimited calling, messaging and 1GB of mobile data. For a quick refresh on the Mercury itself, the phone retails for $230 without contract, and highlights include a 1.4GHz processor, a 4-inch, 854 x 480 TFT-LCD display, an 8MP rear camera -- and now, an endless supply of tunes. Ready to rock out? You'll find the full PR after the break. Continue reading Huawei Mercury for Cricket gains unlimited Muve Music service, challenges aural appetites Huawei Mercury for Cricket gains unlimited Muve Music service, challenges aural appetites originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
