phlack - Slashdot User

Apple may launch video streaming service-> 0

Submitted by

fysdt

on Wednesday August 03 2011, @09:59AM

fysdt writes "Apple may have a "secret" video streaming service in the works, according to market analysts and other reports.

Apple is rumored to have a “secret” videos streaming service in the works, according to a note to investors from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, as reported by Business Insider.

“As part of Apple’s roll-out of cloud video services (and eventually an iTV), we believe Apple has unannounced deals with all/most of the studios/TV networks that are similar to the subscription streaming deal between Amazon and CBS,” writes Misek.

The Amazon-CBS deal Misek references allows Amazon to stream old CBS reruns, which adds more than 2,000 new episodes to Amazon’s streaming lineup."
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Building Material Absorbs and Releases Heat-> 0

Submitted by Zothecula on Wednesday August 03 2011, @08:33AM

Zothecula writes "Researchers at the Ningpo, China campus of the University of Nottingham (UNNC) have created a new heat-regulating material that could be used to cut the heating and cooling costs of buildings. The non-deformed storage phase change material (PCM) can be fixed so that it starts absorbing any excess heat above a pre-determined temperature and releasing stored heat when the ambient temperature drops below the set point. The researchers say the material can be manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes, even small enough so that it can be sprayed as a microscopic film to surfaces in existing buildings."
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iPad 2 33% Thinner, 2x Faster -> 0

Submitted by

CmdrTaco

on Wednesday March 02 2011, @01:22PM

CmdrTaco writes "Steve Jobs was on hand today deliver a speech at Apple's iPad 2 event."
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China Town Arcade Finally Closed-> 0

Submitted by Vintage on Monday February 28 2011, @11:18AM

Vintage writes "The last known arcade in NYC has closed over the weekend. Gamers continued playing while machines were moved out, but now little remains."
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Setting up a big, one day WiFi network? 4

Submitted by

FurryFeet

on Sunday February 27 2011, @12:48AM

FurryFeet writes "I work for a medum size K-12 school and have been notified that in a few weeks we'll have a big training event for teachers. We're expecting about 50 teachers to all bring in their laptops for a full-day training session; they'll all need internet access to do the work. I though I'd just set up a couple of Wi-Fi routers and call it a day, but after googling a bit I bumped into the "Wi-Fi at conferences problem"; namely, there is not a good and easy way to give 50 people a great Wi-Fi connection simultaneously. This is a one-day event, so I don't have a lot of budget. Should I just explain the situation and install a bunch of Ethernet cables? Is there any other way to set up this network that won't cost thousands of dollars?"

NASA wants spacecraft for Mars return trip-> 0

Submitted by coondoggie on Thursday February 24 2011, @10:56AM

coondoggie writes "If we ever do get to Mars, getting home might prove to be as difficult. NASA today selected three companies — Alliant Techsystems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman — to being the task of defining the spacecraft that will leave Mars, presumably at first loaded with red planet rock samples, then later possibly humans — for a safe trip back to Earth.

The engineering challenges those three companies face are immense"
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Researchers develop advanced lithium-ion battery f-> 0

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 24 2011, @07:22AM

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers have developed an advanced lithium-ion battery, having high energy content and rate capacity, to make electric vehicles a more realistic alternative to gas-powered automobiles. They used an unique electrode combination — a tin-carbon anode and a lithium-ion cathode — to form the high-performance battery."
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Google watches while you take their test-> 0

Submitted by mikejuk on Thursday February 24 2011, @06:21AM

mikejuk writes "Google's certification program is special. You can take it at home or at work via the web and they have a way to make sure you don't cheat — they watch you just like in a real physical exam! Biometric identity is established using how you type your password and a video camera takes your photo to make sure you really are you. Then when you take the test there is no rushing off for a comfort break — the video camera is used to watch you and the session is recorded. Specially trained "proctors" keep an eye on you to make sure you don't phone a friend or write anything down.
Its just like being back at school."
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Windows 7 SP1 Available for Download 0

Submitted by mvar on Wednesday February 23 2011, @06:49AM

mvar writes "As expected, Microsoft has made the first Service Pack for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 available for download and started to distribute it via Windows Update. Currently only an ISO file is available for standalone download. It contains the complete packages for x86, x64 and Itanium. Separate packages should be available shortly, with links for downloading x86 and x64 already operative. The 32-bit package is around 550 MB, the x64 package 925 MB and the ISO image just under 2 GB."

24-bit: the new way to make you pay more for music-> 3

Submitted by

Barence

on Wednesday February 23 2011, @05:45AM

Barence writes "Apple and music labels are reportedly in discussions to raise the audio quality of of the songs they sell to 24-bit. The move could see digital downloads that surpass CD quality, which is recorded at 16 bits at a sample rate of 44.1kHz. It would also provide Apple and the music labels with an opportunity to "upgrade" people's music collections, raising extra revenue in the process. The big question is whether anyone would even notice the difference between 16-bit and 24-bit files on a portable player, especially with the low-quality earbuds supplied by Apple and other manufacturers. Labels such as Linn Records already sell "studio master" versions of albums in 24-bit FLAC format, but these are targeted at high-end audio buffs with equipment of a high enough calibre to accentuate the improvement in quality."
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