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Android

Submission + - More Wood Behind the Arrow? (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
Teddlet
Teddlet writes: "Google has announced that it is wrapping up Google Labs via its blog, saying its going to "continue to push speed and innovation—the driving forces behind Google Labs—across all our products" Though were not to be worried about our favorite lab products for Android as "many of the Labs products that are Android apps today will continue to be available on Android Market""
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Patent-Troll going after Wifi Hotspots (sutherland.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Working hotel HSIA support we have been getting a few places that are being sued for patent infringement for having wifi hotspots. The claim is that Innovatio IP Ventures, LLC owns the rights to wifi and its use.

There is some good news, however. Two major suppliers of wireless networking technology – Cisco and Motorola – have filed their own suit against Innovatio, seeking a declaratory judgment defeating Innovatio’s infringement claims.
Image

Air Canada Ordered To Provide Nut-Free Zone 643

Posted by samzenpus from the no-nuts dept.
JamJam writes "Air Canada has been told to create a special 'buffer zone' on flights for people who are allergic to nuts. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that passengers who have nut allergies should be considered disabled and accommodated by the airline. Air Canada has a month to come up with an appropriate section of seats where passengers with nut allergies would be seated. The ruling involved a complaint from Sophia Huyer, who has a severe nut allergy and travels frequently. Ms. Huyer once spent 40 minutes in the washroom during a flight while snacks were being served."
Google

Submission + - Google Faces Deluge of Nexus One Complaints (pcworld.com)

Submitted by wkurzius
wkurzius writes: It seems Google is going through some growing pains as far as customer service is concerned. Since their new phone, the Nexus One, can be bought unlocked, many people are turning to Google themselves for help, but not getting what they're used to from traditional mobile carriers. T-Mobile and HTC are also getting hammered, with many customers being bounced back and forth between the two companies service lines.

Submission + - NIST Investigating Mass Flash Drive Vulnerability (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: A number of leading manufactures of encrypted flash drives have warned their customers of a security flaw uncovered by a German company. The devices in question use the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm and have been certified using the FIPS 140-2, but the flaw appears to circumvent the certification process by uncovering the password authentication code on host systems. The National Institute of Standards and Technology said it's investigating whether it needs to modify its standards to include password authentication software on host systems. Security specialist Bruce Schneier was blunt in his characterization of the flaw: "It's a stupid crypto mistake and they screwed up and they should be rightfully embarrassed for making it."
NASA

Submission + - SPAM: NASA to cryogenically freeze satellite mirrors

Submitted by coondoggie
coondoggie writes: NASA said it will this week move some of the larger – 46 lb — mirror segments of its future James Webb Space Telescope into a cryogenic test facility that will freeze the mirrors to -414 degrees Fahrenheit. Specifically NASA will freeze six of the 18 Webb telescope mirror segments at the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility, or XRCF, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., in a test to ensure the critical mirrors can withstand the extreme space environments. All 18 segments will eventually be tested at the site. The test chamber takes approximately five days to cool a mirror segment to cryogenic temperatures.
[spam URL stripped]
Link to Original Source
Software

Submission + - MS Click-to-Run: The Future of Software Delivery? (infoworld.com)

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: Fatal Exception's Neil McAllisters sees a hidden benefit in Microsoft's new Click-to-Run streaming installation technology, one that could create new revenue opportunities for smaller software vendors just as they appear to fast be drying up. Based on Microsoft's App-V, the technology allows Office 2010 beta testers to stream the productivity suite to their systems in stages, rather than download it all at once. 'Users don't have to wait for the entire suite to download to begin using the applications. Instead, modules are downloaded and installed as users need them,' McAllister writes. Moreover, the applications exist in isolated operating environments, allowing them to coexist with earlier versions on the same PC. But the real upside for smaller software vendors may be the way a technology like Click-to-Run breaks down applications into component modules, allowing them not only to deliver the functionality users are willing to pay for, but in a way easy enough for home computer users to accomplish — important in an era when software retail outlets are fast dying out to the big-box chains.
Technology

Submission + - Nvidia Showcases Tablets & Tegra 2 Platform

Submitted by adeelarshad82
adeelarshad82 writes: At a press conference at CES 2010, Nvidia introduced five new tablets and their latest Tegra 2 platform, running on a slew of them. According to hands on with the tablets, at least two of the tablets ran Android and all had a capacitive touch display. Nvidia wants these tablets to have the performance of a PC, but have the energy efficiency of a cell phone. This is where the next generation of Nvidia's Tegra 2 comes in. It features a dual-core Cortex A9 processor, part of its eight independent processors, which also include a Geforce GPU. Nvidia claims Tegra 2 will have 10 times the performance of a smartphone, operating at only 500 milliwatts. So battery life will be far better than products based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon or Intel's Atom chips.

Submission + - Acer Recalls 22,000 Notebooks Due to Burn Hazard (aviransplace.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Acer, today announced a voluntary recall of 22,000 Notebook computers. Acer has received three reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in slight melting of the external casing. No incidents occurred in the United States. No injuries have been reported.
Medicine

Submission + - Scientists create a bone replacement from wood (bbc.co.uk) 1

Submitted by Bob the Super Hamste
Bob the Super Hamste writes: The BBC is reporting that scientists in Italy have developed a method to convert rattan wood into a bone like substance. The bone replacement is currently being tested in sheep where when inserted into the area of a fracture it joins with the existing bone and eventually fuses. Unlike other bone replacements this one actually has load bearing ability and also naturally fuses with the existing bone. Additionally it since it is porous like real bone nerves and blood vessels can pass through it.
The Internet

Submission + - UPDATE: Court Unfriendly To FCC's Internet Slap At (dsalkjsdlfkjsdflkjasdflkjasfd.com)

Submitted by
ScuttleMonkey
ScuttleMonkey writes: "The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Federal Judges have been harsh in their examination of the FCC's action against Comcast in 2008 for throttling of internet traffic from high-bandwidth file-sharing services. "'You can't get an unbridled, roving commission to go about doing good,' said U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Chief Judge David Sentelle during an oral argument. The three-judge panel grilled FCC General Counsel Austin Schlick on the parts of communications law it could cite to justify the Comcast punishment. The FCC argues that it was enforcing an open Internet policy implicit in the law. Judge A. Raymond Randolph repeatedly said the legal provisions cited by the FCC were mere policy statements that by themselves can't justify the commission's action. 'You have yet to identify a specific statute,' he said. The judges' decision in the case could throw into question the FCC's authority to impose open Internet rules.""
Microsoft

Submission + - Why Microsoft killed Office upgrade versions

Submitted by Hardeep
Hardeep writes: With the upcoming release of Office 2010, Microsoft has decided to do away with upgrade versions completely. Don't worry, if you play your cards right, you'll still be able to save money if you decide to upgrade.

Ars Technica
Cellphones

Submission + - Windows Mobile 7 to appear in February? (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by Barence
Barence writes: Windows Mobile 7 could make its public debut at Mobile Word Congress in February, according to a Microsoft executive. Responding to a question regarding the OS at its Financial Analyst Briefing, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division president Robbie Bach claimed “things will be talked about at MWC.” He later went on to talk up its chances, saying "I’ve seen it and played with it. It will set the bar forward not in (just) an evolutionary way."

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