Google tablet coming within six months'

Google's Executive Chairman is good value for a headline-grabbing quote. Sitting down with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera at the opening of the company's new offices on the former NABISCO bakery, he said "in the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality." Take the translation with a pinch of salt, but he either means the company will be launching a "marketing" push with all of its hardware partners, or we'll be seeing Google-branded tablets like the Nexus range of phones by next Summer.

 

 

Scientists Create First Solar Cell With over 100 Percent Quantum Efficiency

Researchers over at the National Renewable Energy Lab have reportedly made the first solar cell with an external quantum efficiency over 100 percent. Quantum efficiency relates to the number of electrons-per-second flowing in a solar cell circuit, divided by the number of photons from the energy entering. The NREL team recorded an efficiency topping out at 114 percent, by creating the first working multiple exciton generation (MEG) cell. 

Using MEG, a single high energy photon can produce more than one electron-hole pair per absorbed photon. The extra efficiency comes from quantum dots 'harvesting' energy that would otherwise be lost as heat. The cell itself uses anti-reflection coating on a transparent conductor, layered with zinc oxide, lead selenide, and gold. NREL scientist Arthur J. Nozik predicted as far back as 2001 that MEG would do the job, but it's taken until now for the concept to leap over from theory. The hope is, of course, that this will lead to more competitively priced solar power, fueling thetransport of the future.

 

 

Vans iPhone Case

Until today I've never even considered putting a case on my iPhone. Naked and free is the way I prefer to use it. But that all changed when I gazed upon this case featuring Vans' iconic waffle sole tread.

According to posts on OffTheWallSite.net—a forum focusing on Vans sneaks—the rare case was originally created as an exclusive promotional item. But it's also rumored that it could be officially added to their online store in the coming weeks. So if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of browser refreshing to do.

 

 

Dinner Guests Will Love the Shower Of Hot Wax From Your Candelier

Once mankind realized that electricity could save them from severe hot wax burns, they stopped using candles in chandeliers. So what possessed artist Takeshi Miyakawa to make an entire chandelier from wax that completely melts away when lit?

Masochism? Vengeance? A fractured sense of nostalgia? Like with most creations that make you scratch your head or raise an eyebrow, the answer of course is art. The Candelier was created forThe Creatomatic show at New York's Eyebeam Gallery, and even though it took ten weeks to cast and mould, it's destined to disappear in a manner of mere hours. More here.

 

 

Motorola Xoom Tablet Gets an Ice Cream Sandwich Makeover With 4.0.3

Only a day after Google released Android version 4.0.3, one XDA developer has already installed it on his Motorola Xoom WiFi tablet -- making it the first slate to run the frosty Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. Of course, trendsetting is nothing new for the Xoom, which was also the first to ship with Honeycomb's sweetness back in February. 

Being first does have its disadvantages, though, as some of the features like the camera don't work, and there seems to be a green overlay on the screen from time to time.

 

 

Google Search For "Let It Snow"

Google seems to be trying its hand at a lot of things these days. And you can now add 'weather control experiments' to its list of success stories with the company's latest Easter Egg.

Just do a regular old search for "let it snow" and then sit back with a warm mug of hot chocolate and a crackling fire. If your browser window gets too frosty, the blue Search button at the top should switch to a Defrost button after a while.

Once your screen gets completely fogged up you can also draw on the Google search results page like a finger on a window.

 

 

Android 4.0.3 Announced, Bringing Variety of Optimizations and Bug fixes' to Phones and Tablets

Merely a day after Verizon's version of the Galaxy Nexus was gifted with v4.0.2, Google itself is announcing Android 4.0.3, a so-called " incremental release of the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) platform." We're told that the new release includes a variety of optimizations and bug fixes for phones and tablets, as well as a small number of new APIs for developers. 

For those curious, the new API level is 15, and some of those new ones include social stream API in Contacts provider, Calendar provider enhancements, newfangled camera capabilities (apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed) and accessibility refinements (improved content access for screen readers and new status and error reporting for text-to-speech engines). Moreover, we're promised minute improvements in "graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more." Finally, the company makes clear that going forward, it'll be "focusing its partners on Android 4.0.3 as the base version of Ice Cream Sandwich," with rollouts expected for both phones and tablets in "the weeks ahead."

 

 

One-Third of Windows Users Still Use XP

Are you a Windows user? Are you amongst the 32.8% of those using Windows XP?

52% of desktop PCs still run XP, but what about all PC users? The Next Web says that while usage of Windows 7 has risen from 28% to 46%, Windows XP usage has still stayed high, going from an even more mind boggling 45% to its current 33%. Also, LOL at nobody using Vista anymore.

 

 

Google Translate App Update Adds Handwriting Recognition

The Google Translate app for Android received a pretty significant update yesterday, bringing handwriting recognition to its bullpen of functionalities. The app, which added voice recognition back in October, can now recognize handwriting in seven different languages, including English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. It's probably most important, however, for Chinese- and Japanese-speaking contingents, who can now use their handsets to translate characters that aren't typically featured on English keypads. The update to version 2.3 is available now here.

 

 

Are Tablets and E-Readers Responsible For a Rebirth of Reading?

According to The Economist, we're entering a new age of digital consumption: Lean Back 2.0. They say tablets and e-readers are to thank, but is it all just hyperbole about hypertext?

In a presentation given by Andrew Rashbass, CEO of The Economist Group, he claimed that the old publishing models of web and print are "irredeemably broken." (I wasn't aware that web publishing was old yet — though admittedly for some publishers it definitely is broken.)

So what the hell does he mean by "Lean Back 2.0"? Simple, really. He points to the fact that the use of tablets and e-readers is growing — at the expense of print and web use — and simultaneously also changing our reading habits. Unlike reading on a laptop, reading on an iPad or Kindle is a leisure activity. Unlike reading a print newspaper or magazine, you can access whatever the hell you like. We're now combining the utility of modern tech with the enjoyment of reading as relaxation.

It kinda makes sense. But don't just take Rashbass's hyperbolic word for it, take some of his (not altogether convincing) figures too. In his presentation, he points out that 42 per cent of tablet users regularly read in-depth articles, and another 40 per cent read them occasionally — which suggests people read more longer items on tablets than on computers. Apparently.

Also, users' eye activity is far more focused on an iPad app than on a website, and many people also claim they find it easier to learn new things and enjoy news more when digesting it via a tablet. Apparently.

 

 

Ice Cream Bar Speaker

As certain as death and taxes, the speaker on media players are bad. And even if this adorable ice cream bar shaped speaker doesn't impress audio engineers, it should improve the sound coming from your portable device.

Remove the popsicle stick and you'll find a USB port for recharging its lithium polymer battery good for about two hours of use. Remove the top of the plastic iced treat and you'll find a standard stereo mini plug—that's all there is to it. For $30 you get an extra 0.8 watts of listening pleasure, and whatever joy you can derive from its novel design. Get it here.

 

 

MacGyver Unable to Fix his Own Car

Richard Dean Anderson is just an actor. He is not MacGyver. He cannot fix everything with a paperclip and a ballpoint pen. Yet, there's something disappointing about seeing him with the hood on his car open waiting for someone to help him. You're MACGYVER. Help yourself, man. Help yourself.

The 61-year-old actor was caught helplessly standing next to his dead Audi in Malibu yesterday, waiting for help. He just stares at it. At the car. Like he has no idea what to do with it. He's wearing cargo pants. It's really sad.

Of course, the car is an Audi Allroad, which is so mechanically screwed up even other Audi owners scoff at it for being unreliable. With its Torsen quattro four-wheel drive system and air suspension it's impossibly complex. The real MacGyver probably couldn't keep an Allroad on the road for more than six hours at a time without a Staples full of office supplies.

 

 

Would You Dangle Your iPhone From This Carabiner?

Instead of just clipping into the iPhone 4 and 4S' dock connector—which would have eventually guaranteed a shattered phone—this carabiner accessory comes with longer replacement screws that are promised to securely attach it to the bottom.

So while you can't just pop it on and off without the aid of a screwdriver, it does let you clip your phone to your belt or shoulder strap so it's always in reach. You can even use it as a giant keychain if you don't mind your keys banging against your face when you make calls. The metal plate sits flush enough for most dock accessories to still be used, and for $30 it's just about the easiest way to add a permanent tether to your phone.

 

 

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Don’t Know How to Use Amazon.com

One of the cardinal rules of Hollywood is that in order to be a very good looking actor, you also have to be very smart.

In an interview with USA Today, Jolie was asked whether the two online shop for Christmas presents—this was a hard-hitting interview, okay?

"Brad and I were on Amazon.com for the first time a week ago. But we got lost. After an hour, we just shut it off. My brain is too scattered and the wires go in different directions. I'll stick to catalogs."

Granted, Amazon's web interface is pretty lousy, but if you're used a computer within the past two decades, you should be able to navigate it without calling in a personal shopper and/or seeing eye dog.

Robots finally able to follow 'make me a sandwich' command

Pancakes? No problem. Cookies? You got it! Sandwich? ...is there a Subway near by? Why robots have such a hard time slapping meat and cheese on bread is beyond us, but we're glad the crack team at the Technical University of Munich has finally figured out how to teach them. The dynamic duo of James and Rosie don't exactly blaze through their task of making a sandwich and some popcorn, but at least they're nice enough to toast the bread for your salami- and cheese-based chow. As usual, the moves here are not preprogrammed, the two bots make decisions on the fly based on a complex "reasoning" mechanism and data it can cull from a Kinect.

Samsung Claims Record 300 Million Mobile Sales This Year

Add together ten million Galaxy S IIs, a dollop of Galaxy Nexii, a gargantuan gathering of Galaxy Notes and a healthy serving of Badas, and what do you get? 300 million handset sales so far in 2011, that's what. And Samsung claims that makes this the best year in its mobile-making history, surpassing 2010 by a whopping 20 million. 

Of course, more sales doesn't necessarily translate into greater revenue -- Nokia is still the world's largest manufacturer by volume and is a case in point. Nevertheless, we'll know more when Samsung reveals its Q4 earnings next month.

 

 

Why Do Three Google Execs Own Eight Private Jets?

How is the world's top search engine going to put its software in every TV on earth? Not by flying commercial, like some sort of company for poor people! Let's just buy a few spare private jets, just in case.

Most reasonable people are content with one or two private jets, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt aren't content with one plane each—The Mercury News reports the search triumvirate share eight. That's a lot of planes for three guys! Do they race? Do they pay people to fly all eight at once while they watch from the roof of a castel made of money? Is that ecologically or financially responsible? The answer to all of those things is probably no! But don't expect them to kick the habit anytime soon—they're ready to pony up $33 million in an effort to restore an old NASA hangar as their personal parking lot. See, if you had thought of Google first, you could be doing fun expensive things like this right now.

 

 

Indonesian Government Threatens to ban BlackBerry Services if it Can't spy on Users

It's not the first time that RIM's security measures have caused a bit of an inferiority complex, but the Indonesian government now is threatening to ban BIS and BBM services within the nation if it doesn't get its way. Partially, it seems that Indonesian officials are upset that Research in Motion will be building its new data centers in Singapore, rather than in the homeland. Additionally, as is, the government is unable to monitor these communications, which it sees as a security risk. 

As you likely know, all data is currently processed in RIM's Canadian facilities. Heru Sutadi, a member of the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulation Body, had the following to say: "With the condition as it is now, we warn that the country's users to be cautious about using BlackBerry because the data exchanged is not safe or cannot be guaranteed of its safety." Sounds creepy, right? We always feel safer when knowing the government is monitoring our messages, too.

 

 

Quirky Stem Turns Citrus Fruits Into Spray Bottles

If you prefer a fresh blast of lemon or lime juice on a salad instead of a heavy dressing, just jam Quirky's new Stem accessory into a citrus fruit of your choice, instantly turning it into a spray bottle.

Besides a set of serrated teeth on the bottom that let it easily pierce the skin, the mechanics of how the Stem actually works are a little vague. I mean the general idea is pretty obvious, but how it manages to avoid getting clogged with pulp and seeds is a mystery to me.

However its patent pending design works, the Stem is going into production with pricing details to be revealed when it's closer to being available. And while the first version will probably be limited to citrus fruits, I'm optimistic the technology can eventually be adapted to sticks of butter and hunks of ham to make sprayable versions of more delicious foods. Get it here.

Google-Funded Study Says Firefox Less Secure than Internet Explorer

Remember when you downloaded Firefox circa 2004 because Internet Explorer was inundating Windows XP with viruses? Those days have long since passed, and according to a Google-funded study carried out by Accuvant, Firefox is now among the least secure web browsers. Naturally, Chrome is the best.

Obviously this has to be approached with a fair amount of skepticism, Forbes points to Accuvant's industry cred for objective reports on security. his particular report calls out Firefox's inability to sandbox code in the browser, thus preventing hackers and malicious code from gaining access to the rest of someone's operating system.

Accuvant's researchers argue that Google's ability to start from scratch in creating Chrome allowed the company to incorporate new security features that were tougher to integrate into Firefox's legacy code base. "Mozilla's products were around before browser security was such a relevant issue," says Accuvant researcher Chris Valasek. "Chrome was just born at the correct time in the correct environment."

Internet Explorer, which has been bashed for years as being a security cesspool was actually found to compete quite well against Chrome as far as security goes, though it wasn't found to be better. Also curious about this report: where's Safari?