Engadget's CES 2013 Preview: Laptops

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It's incredible to think that when CES 2012 kicked off back in January we had only reviewed five Ultrabooks. Yep, five. Enough to count on one hand. Even weirder, we still hadn't seen that many by the time we wrapped our coverage of the show. Sure, a few companies teased ultraportables they planned to release later in the year, but these only represented a slice of the 100-plus models slated to launch in 2012. And that didn't even include all the Ultrabook imposters! Ever hear of Sleekbooks? Ultrathins? Whoever said PCs are dead clearly doesn't have to review them for a living.
In any event, the months passed and we've since seen a hundred different models (or at least it feels like it), with most of them running Windows 8. And who could've guessed what a difference an OS would make? Back around CES 2012, we thought regular old, non-touch Ultrabooks would still be easy to come by. We thought the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, whose screen folds all the way back, would be the strangest-looking laptop we saw.
As it turns out, the Yoga is one of many Windows 8 convertibles we've handled, and it's rare that we review an Ultrabook without a touchscreen. Until OEMs figure out which form factors consumers like best, we expect them to announce at least a few more eye-catching designs at CES. And, just as the original wave of Ultrabooks were followed by a slew of more affordable models, we expect to see some more mid-range offerings -- you know, ones that don't start at $1,200.
The truth is, though, we know of at least three major companies that won't be announcing anything at CES (sorry, thanks to confidentiality agreements, we can't name names right now). That could be a result of Microsoft having a reduced presence at the show, but it also might be that mixed reviews of Windows 8 systems have led some companies to go back to the drawing board and retool whatever it was they had in the pipeline. Meanwhile, as we said, companies that do plan to unveil products are going to play it pretty safe this time around, with budget laptops and older systems getting upgraded with touchscreens, or new color options. Word on the street, though, is that some PC makers will instead choose to launch their wares at the Mobile World Congress trade show taking place in Barcelona in late February. So... see you in Spain, then?

Curiosity spends holidays in Yellowknife Bay, immortalized on special Foursquare badge 

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While many of us were opening presents and having our fill of mulled cider, NASA's trusty Curiosity rover was busy at work capturing panoramic views of Yellowknife Bay, a shallow area of unusual terrain on the Red planet. Jokingly dubbed "Grandma's house" by the crew, the rover spent over 11 Martian days there so that handlers could take some time off for the holidays. When they get back, the space vehicle will hopefully have provided enough data to pinpoint a potential drilling area so it can drill, collect and analyze rock samples using onboard tools -- a feat never-before attempted on Mars.
The Curiosity rover has, however, checked in on Foursquare on Mars, which is a feat no one else is likely to attempt. In continued collaboration with the social media platform, NASA is now providing a Curiosity Explorer badge to anyone who checks in to a NASA visitor center or a venue categorized as a science museum or planetarium. Badge recipients will get this message: "Get out your rock-vaporizing laser! You've explored your scientific curiosities just like NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. Stay curious and keep exploring. You never know what you'll find." No idea if you'll get a free "scoop" of space ice cream or a hand in the next Mars mission along with it, but we're behind anything that boosts the public's interest in space.

Blame holidays for Instagram slippage, AppData says

The analytics firm suggests that any drop in user numbers stemmed from the holiday effect on daily routines, not Instagram's unpopular new terms of service.

 

December 28, 2012 12:38 PM PST 

What's really behind today's reported decline in Instagram numbers? AppData -- which touched off a firestorm today when the New York Post used its data to suggest that Instagram had lost nearly a quarter of its daily users -- says that the holidays are likely to blame, rather than proposed changes to its terms of service.

"Though the terms-of-service change spurred a lot of negative media attention and complaints from users, the decline in Facebook-connected daily active users began closer to Christmas, not immediately after the proposed policy change," said Brittany Darwell, speaking on behalf of AppData owner Inside Network. "The drop between December 24 and 25 seems likely to be related to the holiday, during which time people are traveling and otherwise have different routines than usual. A number of other apps saw similar trends, including Skype, Pandora, Pinterest and Yelp."
The Post had reported that someone at analytics firm AppData claimed to be "pretty sure" the decline was related to changes in the terms of service; Darwell told me that quote was "not authorized for publication." In any case, AppData isn't standing behind it.
I asked Darwell how AppData squared Instagram's apparent usage decline on Christmas with its performance on Thanksgiving, when it crowed about a record-breaking number of photos being shared.
"Instagram's Thanksgiving milestone was related to the number of photos shared on that day, not the number of users," she said. "Unfortunately we have no way of knowing how many actual photos were shared over Christmas unless Instagram announces that."

Still, on Thanksgiving, AppData reported that Instagram had 14.5 million daily active users connected to Facebook. On Christmas, that number had fallen to 12.5 million users.
At the same time, the number of monthly active Instagram users increased, from 38.7 million on Thanksgiving to 42.5 million on Christmas.
Instagram told CNET earlier today that active users continue to increase.
Darwell also answered another question many of us had about today's story in the Post: how many Instagram users connect with Facebook, and can therefore be tracked by companies like AppData. The company estimates that 20 to 30 percent of Instagram users are connected, Darwell said. It's a minority, but as samples go it's a large one.
"AppData is a sample, and to really understand whether proposed policy changes had any effect on the service, we'll need to observe how that sample changes over time," Darwell said. On that point at least, we all can agree.

SlashGear 101: What is Nintendo TVii?

SlashGear 101: What is Nintendo TVii?

As the Nintendo Wii U gets wrapped up for presents for the holidays and is getting pumped up in hardcore fun-loving gamer abodes across the planet here at the end of 2012, so too is one of the most value-added features ready to create an impact with its television-enhancing abilities. What we’re having a look at today is the Nintendo TVii, a software experience inside your Wii U that works with both the main screen on your television and the miniature touch-friendly display on your Wii U GamePad. With Nintendo TVii you’ll be taking control of your television and interacting with a collection of media in ways you’ve never before experienced.

Television Shows

With TVii you’re going to be able to look up your favorite television shows with the Search function, keep the programs you like and check for new episodes with Favorites, and look for new programs with the “TV” section on your GamePad. Like the rest of the media you’ll be accessing with TVii, you’ll be accessing all of your favorite TV shows with the GamePad.

Once you find a show you want to watch, TVii brings you out to several optional connected services including your existing cable or satellite channels (if you have them connected through your WiiU), Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Instant Video. You can also work with your TiVo DVR – again, if you have it connected through your WiiU.

You can either connect through a show – picking it and watching it on-demand – or you can select from a collection of channels which includes MSNBC, Animal Planet, Fox News, ESPN, and more.

Movies

Selecting and working with Movies is extremely similar to working with your TV shows interface save the fact that you’re not working with TV channels, just movies with in-demand services. Movies are generally found only with Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Instant Video. It’s important to note that though TVii is a free service, you still need to pay for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and your internet data where applicable.

Sports

It may seem a bit odd that next to TV and Movies you’ll find a button for Sports – a category that anywhere else would be included under the TV roof. Nintendo has this category up out in the open because they’ve got deals worked out with the providers of the sports programming they’ve got on-hand that goes above and beyond what’s offered with Movies and TV shows.

When enter the Sports category, you’ll be able to select from Football, Baseball, and Basketball – and we’re sure that someday the Nintendo family will recognize the most played and popular sport across the planet: Soccer (or Futball, as it were). For now you’ll be working withe the American egg tossing sport and will have interactive action at your fingertips the likes of which you’ve never seen before with any other television console.

Inside of a game you’ve got the ability to see the game with plays on a flat “gameboard” sort of interface, you can see statistics as they happen, player ranks, and scores. This information comes in a user interface on the GamePad that you’re able to access separate from the game playing on your big screen, here giving you the ability to interact with the game and share the bits you like while you’re watching. You can connect with friends who also work with a Wii U live, chat, and share replays.

Perhaps most oddly of all, you’re able to see related content to the game when you’re in it including offers to purchase items and services. One fabulous example is what you see above: a Football Stadium Chip and Dip Serving Set – buy it from your couch!

Favorites

You’ve got connections to each of your WiiU profiles in Favorites, each of them showing which shows and Movies that have been seen by each of the people using your device. In the future we’re expecting more interaction with Mii profiles across the web as well. Watch out for Grandma’s favorites and hope she’s not watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre again.

Remote

Of course there’s the standard remote control as well – from here you’re able to control your live TV as well as change the volume, switch through channels and episodes, and control basically everything from a collection of spin-dials.

Have a peek at the Nintendo-made hands-on presentation here and get pumped up about the release – WiiU’s Nintendo TVii is coming down as an update to your console this week!

Facebook Poke and Snapchat bug saves “deleted” videos

Facebook Poke and Snapchat bug saves “deleted” videos

 

A security flaw that quietly saves private videos in Snapchat and Facebook Poke for future recovery, when the sender expects them to be deleted after a few seconds, has been identified in the new “sexting” apps. Both apps promise a simple way to share photos and video temporarily, with the promise that they’ll be deleted shortly after viewing; however, BuzzFeed discovered, a simple third-party file browser can pull the video files from a cached store on your iPhone or iPad, allowing the clips to be archived and shared.


Snapchat and Poke – Facebook’s recently released copy of the original app – each cater to the temporary messaging market. Senders of messages, photos, and video can choose how long they wish the content to be available, for up to ten seconds, after which time the promise is that they are deleted from the app and the company’s own servers.
Although a wide variety of uses are suggested, the most commonly-cited purpose for Snapchat and Poke is “sexting” where the ephemeral nature of the media leaves users more confident that DIY pornography won’t hang around to haunt them later. While screenshots can be saved on the device, both apps warn the sender that a shot has been taken.

This new hack, however, gives no such warning. Users simply need to load – but not open – any received clip, then plug their iOS device into their computer and use a third-party file browser such as iFunBox to navigate through to the Snapchat/Poke temporary file folder (either Snapchat/tmp or library/caches/fbstore/mediacard). The video clips are stored there; in Facebook’s case, they are deleted after being watched, whereas Snapchat appears to save them forever.
The hack only works with videos – photos don’t appear to be cached – but serves as another warning that even the most casual digital content could be extracted if users have the right tools. Despite the relative simplicity of the cache access, Snapchat doesn’t appear to be concerned. “The people who most enjoy using Snapchat are those who embrace the spirit and intent of the service” founder Evan Spiegel told BuzzFeed. “There will always be ways to reverse engineer technology products — but that spoils the fun!”

Hengkang dari LA Galaxy, Beckham Masih Menganggur

Hengkang dari LA Galacy, Beckham Masih Menganggur

Jumat, 28 Desember 2012 08:06 WIB

London, (tvOne)

David Beckham menyatakan ia masih belum tertarik dengan berbagai tawaran dari beberapa klub dunia sejak pemain bintang Manchester United itu keluar dari LA Galaxy Amerika. Beckham meninggalkan LA Galaxy awal bulan ini setelah kontraknya berakhir.

Pemain sepak bola kondang berusia 37 tahun mantan pemain tengah di Real Madrid ini, menetap selama lima tahun di LA, disebut-sebut berhubungan dengan QPR di Inggris dan Monaco di Prancis, juga beberapa klub di China dan Australia.

Juru bicara Beckham mengatakan, mantan kapten tim nasional Inggris itu sedang memasuki masa libur dan tidak ingin cepat-cepat mengambil keputusan.

"Ada beberapa proposal serius dari beberapa klub dunia," kata juru bicara itu.

"David tidak ingin cepat-cepat mengambil keputusan. Kuncinya, menentukan hal yang benar seperti selalu dilakukannya dalam karirnya," katanya.

"Saat ini terlalu dini untuk menentukan pilihan. David sedang menikmati masa liburnya bersama keluarganya," kata juru bicara itu.

Di Prancis beredar berita bahwa Beckham merencanakan pindah ke Monaco, tetapi hal itu ternyata masih terlalu dini.

Monaco, saat ini berada di urutan kedua kompetisi Ligue 2, dilatih manan pelatih Chelsea, Claudio Ranieri, yang pernah menyatakan ia ingin memboyong Beckham ke Monaco dan diamini pemilik klub dari Rusia Dimitri Rybolovlev.

The top 12 tech stories of 2012

Microsoft pushed three big new products in 2012: Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and its Surface tablet. This is Windows 8, the company's bold new operating system, running on an HP Envy x2, left, and a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, right.

(CNN) -- In the tech world, 2012 was the year of the reboot. Older, established tech companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Nintendo all tried to restart their brands with bold new products and fresh blood in the executive suites.

Facebook struggled with its new life as a publicly traded company, and Instagram, the photo-sharing network it acquired in April, was dragged along for the ride.

There were inspiring stories, such as the Internet coming together to protest anti-piracy legislation. And there was darker news, like the Israeli military live-tweeting its strikes against Gaza.

And as always, the world's dominant and most closely watched tech company was all over the news. Apple did a little bit of everything in 2012, from hit new products (the iPad Mini) to high-profile failures (Apple Maps) to some old-fashioned courtroom drama in its patent war with Samsung.

Here are our picks for the top 12 tech stories of 2012. What did we leave out? Let us know in the 

comment section below.

 

Windows 8 tablet can compete with iPad

 

Apple's map hiccups

 

Instagram users revolt over privacy

 

Former Facebook prez talks IPO mess

Microsoft's big push

This was the year Microsoft took a big, bold and surprisingly fun step with a new version of Windows, an updated mobile operating system and its very own iPad rival.

The company, best known for its efficient but stodgy desktop software, needed to do something fresh to get customers' attention in 2012 and started with its flagship product. Windows 8 is a complete overhaul of the Windows operating system. Microsoft nixed the Start button and mixed a playful touchscreen interface with a more traditional desktop experience that runs on tablets, traditional computers, and hybrid machines.

The company also made a leap into the hardware market, releasing its first tablet, the Microsoft Surface, which ran a truncated version of the new Windows 8 operating system. And finally, there was Windows Phone 8, a major revamp of its smartphone operating system, which Microsoft hopes can compete with Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

It's still too soon to judge any of the new releases as successes or failures, but give Microsoft credit for taking chances.

SOPA backlash

In January, a pair of anti-piracy bills united the Internet in outrage. The proposed legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and the Protect IP Act, or PIPA, would have restricted access to sites associated with pirated content, including the search engines and ad networks that do business with them.

The Internet cried censorship, and on January 18 some of the most popular sites blacked out their pages in protest. Reddit, Craigslist, Boing Boing, The Oatmeal, the English-language version of Wikipedia and thousands of other sites went dark. Even Google put a black censorship box over its logo. There were also petitions and organized boycotts of companies that supported the bills.

The protests worked, as both SOPA and PIPA were shelved. It was an impressive demonstration of the power of an organized Internet community.

Live-tweeting war

Violence and war have long been documented on Twitter and other social networks -- typically by journalists and by regular people on the ground (notably the Pakistani witness to the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden).

But in November, the Israeli military took this concept to a new level. During its conflict with Palestinian forces in Gaza, the Israel Defense Force tweeted updates, including the news it had "eliminated" Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari. The military arm of Hamas responded on Twitter with its own provocations.

The back-and-forth between the warring sides signaled a jarring evolution in how war is broadcast in real time.

iPhone 5 and Apple Maps stumble

Every Apple hardware release is a big news story, starting with rumors months in advance and peaking with a well-oiled Apple press event, followed by usually glowing reviews and huge sales numbers. But in 2012, Apple made a major misstep when it released the iPhone 5 and its new operating system, iOS 6.

The company dropped the Google-powered maps that had come pre-installed on every iPhone since 2007. In its place, Apple introduced its own mapping app. Apple Maps looked stunning, with 3-D graphics and neat features like Flyover and turn-by-turn directions. All it was missing was transit directions and accuracy -- the maps were riddled with mistaken locations and outdated information.

The resulting criticism inspired an apology from CEO Tim Cook and led to an executive shakeup at Apple. Customers turned to third-party map apps until Google finally released an iOS version of its popular maps in December.

Apple vs. Samsung

It was the biggest tech trial of the year. Two of the top phone and tablet manufacturers went to war when Apple accused Samsung of infringing on its iPad and iPhone patents for a variety of tablets and smartphones. The drama culminated in a federal jury trial over the summer that offered a rare peek into how notoriously secretive Apple operates.

The story became huge because of the large amount of money at stake and the implications that its verdict would have on Samsung's business and the Android platform.

The jury decided in Apple's favor, awarding the company just over $1 billion in damages. But the case is far from over. Lawyers for both sides will continue bickering over potential appeals for months and possibly years to come.

Facebook's botched IPO

It was the most anticipated IPO of the year, and one of the largest ever for a tech company. Social-media darling Facebook looked primed for a big public opening: The company was valued at $104 billion, snapped up popular photo-sharing app Instagram and was still growing.

But then an array of problems and misjudgments led to a botched IPO in May, and the company's stock plummeted. The initial offer price of $38 was too high, too many shares were issued, its opening day was marred by Nasdaq's technical glitches, and underwriter Morgan Stanley was fined for improperly influencing share sales.

The stock price dropped significantly, hitting a low of $17.55 on September 4. Facebook is still struggling to recover some of its early-2012 luster.

The Instagram boom

Instagram started out scrappy two years ago as a fun little app for sharing sepia-shaded photos with friends. But when its user base skyrocketed, Facebook bought it for $1 billion in cash and shares of Facebook stock. That amount later dropped to $735 million as the value of Facebook shares plummeted.

By September, Instagram had more than 100 million users. The app capped off its big year with a rite of passage for social networks: a bungled update to its terms of service that sparked user outrage and led to a hasty backtrack by founder Kevin Systrom.

Instagram's challenge for 2013 is to figure out how to grow its free service into a business that makes money so that Facebook can begin to get its money's worth.

Megaupload and Kim Dotcom

The Megaupload case would have been mildly interesting on its own. A popular file-sharing company and its various sites were shut down by the F.B.I for piracy. But when Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was arrested in January at his lavish New Zealand estate, he went from unknown entrepreneur to a flamboyantly rich cult hero.

Dotcom (he legally changed his last name from Schmitz in 2005) did what any self-respecting boy video-game nerd would do with millions of dollars. He bought a yacht, helicopter, luxury cars and motorcycles. He lived with his model wife in a $24 million rented mansion in New Zealand where he spent hours playing "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," earning a spot as the top-ranked player in the world.

But after Dotcom was jailed and his assets were seized, he slowly emerged as a leader for Internet freedom activists who thought he was unfairly targeted. He's still fighting the charges and using his newfound fame to launch new projects. His current plans include a new file-sharing site that encrypts all its files, and a streaming music service called Megabox.

Mid-sized tablets take off

It was the rare case of Apple following a trend instead of setting it. Apple introduced its 7.9-inch iPad Mini in October to take on its new rivals in the tablet market: cheaper 7-inch devices from Google and Amazon. While the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 were only selling modestly compared to the iPad, Apple quickly recognized the growing demand for a smaller, more portable device.

The iPad Mini proved especially notable because Apple's late CEO, Steve Jobs, famously stated a 7-inch tablet would never make it in the market because it was "too big to compete with a smartphone; too small to compete with an iPad." This may have been one of those rare cases in which Jobs was wrong.

Nintendo launches Wii U

In November, Nintendo released a new version of its popular Wii game console, which while groundbreaking when launched in 2006 was badly in need of a refresh.

The Wii U's most novel feature is a touchscreen tablet controller called a GamePad, which communicates with the main console. Inside the tablet are motion control sensors, speakers, a camera, buttons and other bells and whistles -- all of which the gamer uses to interact with what's happening on the larger screen.

It's a bold move for the company and brings a new perspective to console gaming, although the Wii U has received mixed reviews so far.

Yahoo hires Marissa Mayer

Aging Internet giant Yahoo was facing slumping revenues and internal strife in July when it hired Google exec Marissa Mayer as its new chief executive. The hire made headlines for many reasons: Mayer was a bold choice that showed Yahoo was serious about shaking things up. She was also young, a Silicon Valley power player, and a woman who was expecting her first child.

There was much media hand-wringing over her pregnancy, with some pundits wondering aloud whether Mayer could juggle a newborn baby and a demanding new job. Many saw her as a role model for working mothers.

But when the news settled, the real question returned: Could Mayer save the floundering Yahoo? So far she has shaken up Yahoo's executive team, given employee morale a much-needed boost and begun to improve the company's mobile offerings, including a stunning new Flickr app.

It will take a while to properly gauge her impact, but investors seem optimistic. Yahoo's stock price has risen $4 a share since her hiring was announced.

Tech's role in the presidential election

Technology issues such as net neutrality weren't discussed much during the 2012 presidential election, but tech played a huge role in rallying supporters and getting out the vote. President Obama, arguably the most tech-savvy of U.S. presidents, went on Google Plus and Reddit to take questions from voters.

And both his campaign and that of his GOP challenger, Mitt Romney, sent social media messages almost daily in attempts to sway media reports and public opinion.

But the most impressive use of tech took place behind the scenes, where both sides used new and powerful computer databases to target voters. The Romney campaign's get-out-the-vote program, called Orca, suffered technical glitches on Election Day and was perceived to have been outflanked by Obama campaign software which compiled massive amounts of data on voters and dispatched volunteers to pinpoint locations across the country.