Kim Dotcom's back with a new 50GB free storage service: Mega

The legal battle rages on over Kim Dotcom's Megaupload site, which was closed down in January 2012 on claims that it was part of "international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works." But, that hasn't stopped the irrepressible Dotcom from opening a new storage service, Mega, which offers users 50GBs of free storage.

Well, in theory it does. While the service has been launched, it's been utterly swamped with requests. As I write this, at 4 PM Eastern Standard Time, Down for everyone or just for me is reporting that his new site is down. Dotcom, who launched his new service with a combination party and raid re-enactment complete with "FBI" helicopters and military-uniformed dancing girls with mini-skirts, explained his new site's problems was due to overwhelming demand. 

On Twitter, Dotcom wrote, "250,000 user registrations. Server capacity on maximum load. Should get better when initial frenzy is over". He followed this message with another stating: "If you are currently experiencing slow access to #Mega its because of the unbelievable demand. We are working on more capacity."

While the U.S. Department of Justice may be stewing about Dotcom's defiant return to the Internet, users, eager for huge amounts of free storage, are streaming to the site. Still, while 50GBs is far more than that offered by most online storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft SkyDrive, it's only a quarter of what the now banned Megaupload site offered. At least one other service. MediaFire also offers 50GBs of free storage.

Besides offering storage, Mega also includes file encryption for all files stored on the service. This encryption isn't done on the server. Instead, Mega uses symmetric key encryption in the browser. Every file has its own key generated on your PC, from within your Web browser session, using your Mega password.

You'll want to make darn sure you don't lose that password because Mega doesn't keep a copy of it. Indeed, the whole points of Mega's file encryption system is that Mega can say, without lying, they have no idea if you're illegally sharing music or movies. All their servers have is encrypted files. What's in them? Only you, and whomever you share the password with, knows.

That said, Mega's also claims that their service saves room on its over-burdened servers by keeping a single copy of identical files How do they do that if they don't know their users' password? Good question. We don't know the answer. The basic system of keeping only unique copies of multiple files Is far from new. Streamload introduced it in 1998 and Apple uses it today with iTunes Match as does Amazon with its Cloud Player service.

In practice, you can still share files on Mega. You can do this in two ways. First, you can just share both your your file's URL and its password to a friend or co-worker. Or, shades of the old Megaupload, you can create a URL with the password embedded within it.

So is this a good deal or not? While I think that Kim Dotcom will eventually win free of the criminal charges from his first file storage/sharing service due to numerous irregularities in the Megaupload investigation, I'm also sure that his new service will be constantly watched. When Megaupload was seized, there is no doubt that untold number of pirated files were removed from the net. Simultaneously, though, users lost terabytes of legitimate files and there seems to be no way they'll ever get these files back.

Let's face it. Whenever you put a file on a cloud service, no matter whether it's owned by a giant like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft or a relative unknown such as MediaFire or Ubuntu One, there's always a chance that your files will disappear because of some technical or legal problem. In the case of Mega, though, the odds will be higher that your files may vaporize because of legal trouble.

Here's what I plan on doing. I will use Mega, but I'm not going to put anything on it that I can't afford to lose. I'd think you'd be wise if you did the same.

Article by: Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Networking

Via: http://www.zdnet.com/kim-dotcoms-back-with-a-new-50gb-free-storage-service-mega-7000010043/

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WSJ: Apple Cuts Orders of iPhone Parts Following Low Demand

 Jamie Condliffe

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has cut orders for iPhone 5 components due to "weaker-than-expected demand" for the device.

Citing "people familiar with the situation", the Journal claims that Apple has cut its orders of iPhone 5 screens for the January-March quarter, for instance, by half. If the rumors are true, they suggest that the phone isn't selling as well as Apple anticipated—or, more unlikely, that its plans are changing.

Certainly, Apple's share of the smartphone market has been shrinking of recent times, dropping from a peak of 23 percent in the final quarter of 2011 to 15 percent in the third quarter of 2012. Elsewhere, Android is going from strength to strength—with Samsung stealing Apple's lead, now commanding 31 percent of smartphone sales. Changes aside, though, it's worth remembering that Apple's position is slipping from what was a very strong position: it sold 27 million phonesin the third quarter of 2012, after all.

If the rumors are true, and order cuts do reflect ailing sales, it will be interesting to see how Apple adapts in order to breathe life into the brand. Equally, though, it might be sensible to hold off and consider Apple's latest earning figures—expected sometime later this month—before we all speculate too wildy. [WSJ]

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Apple Faces Update With Destiny

Apple may have an upgrade problem.

Now almost 30% below its all-time high, Apple's stock slid again Monday on news that the company cut orders for iPhone 5 components. While sales of Apple's latest smartphone are likely to best previous versions, it likely won't be by the same blowout margin some have come to expect.

One problem could be that users don't feel the need to rush and get the latest device. The iPhone 5 is only an incremental improvement over prior iPhones, which were heavier and had a slightly smaller screen. There was one significant advance: an LTE chip that downloads data at much faster speeds. But AT&T ads labeling older iPhones as "4G" may be confusing many U.S. users that their older device is as fast.

Add it up, and many users may feel the iPhone 4 or 4S are perfectly adequate, especially considering that they are able to run the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system and work fine with key apps like Google Maps. Some recently released data back that up. According to survey data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, in the three months after the iPhone 4S was launched in 2011, 73% of iPhone buyers in the U.S. opted for the latest version of the device. But in survey results yet to be published, CIRP tells The Wall Street Journal that in the three months after the iPhone 5 was launched, the percentage of U.S. iPhone buyers opting for it fell to 50%.

U.S. carriers looking to avoid paying high handset subsidies also are discouraging upgrades with new or increased fees.

A silver lining from users buying older devices would be if Apple can attract more users to its software platform who don't want to buy its priciest smartphone. Sales of apps or content on iTunes aren't as big a contributor to profits as the sale of hardware. They aren't even close. But such new users may be more inclined to buy more Apple devices in the future. Other moves to bring new users to the Apple ecosystem may include the release of a low-end iPhone for emerging markets, especially as the tailwind from increased distribution tapers off. It has already done that with the iPad, releasing the iPad Mini while also leaving older versions of the tablet on the market.

In the end, the best way to keep users in the Apple fold is the same as the strategy needed to maintain high gross profit margins—and that is to keep selling exciting new devices. It is debatable whether the iPhone 5 has excited average users. And the next iPhone may disappoint, unless there is some big, unexpected improvement coming to iOS, Apple's mobile operating system.

If Apple hasn't already released the last devices developed under the direction of Steve Jobs, it is getting close. The hard work for CEO Tim Cook is just beginning.

Rolfe Winkler 

-via Rolfe Winkler - WSJ

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Kingstons Pricey 1 TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Imagine being able to save hundreds of movies, music, photos, documents, and almost everything off your computer and take them with you in your pocket. Well now you can if you got the dough to purchase Kingston's new 1 tb (yes 1 terabyte) 3.0 USB Flash Drive.

Kingston unveiled "the worlds largest capacity usb 3.0 flash drive" at CES. HyperX Predator 3.0 is Kingstons latest innovation and will be shipped out this year. The thumb drive has a 240 MB/s read and 160 MB/s write speed. The company also release a 512 gb version if you need less capacity. That one will cost you roughly $1,750, which means the 1 tb will most likey be over $2,500.


"Our new DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 allows users to store their entire digital world on a portable USB 3.0 Flash drive," Andrew Ewing, flash memory business manager at Kingston, said in a statement. "The large capacity and fast USB 3.0 transfer speeds allow users to save time as they can access, edit, and transfer applications or files such as HD movies directly from the drive without any performance lag."

The flash drives outer shell is made of a shock resistant zinc alloy for durability and has backwords compatibility for USB 2.0. The 1 tb HyperX Predator model is currently not available but will be sold early this year.


-Alex Pardo - GEEKSTRAPD Contributor

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BMW wants to make your car a 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot

BMW is now offering in-car connectivity via a 4G LTE device as a part of its accessory program. Customers can opt in by purchasing the hotspot accessory which connects the car and uses the antennae to provide fast internet speeds.

"The very fast bit rates and extremely low latency mean that an internet connection supported by the BMW Car Hotspot LTE is often even faster than a PC connection in the home," says Markus Dietz, Project Manager BMW Car Hotspot LTE Development.

The hotspot can connect up to 8 different devices, and it also supports NFC which lets you connect NFC enabled devices by touching it against the hotspot to authenticate them. The device works much like a home router and only works on newer models that have the BMW Telephone Docking Station. The device can also be disconnected from the car and taken with you to be used on the go. The accessory also lets you set it from 3 meters to up to 10 meters so you can use the hotspot from outside the car.

BMW has not set a price on the device that will be released in Europe this week.


-Alex Pardo - GEEKSTRAPD Contributor

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Microsoft Surface Pro Hands-On: This Is What It Should Have Been All Along

Surface RT was an enormous let down—not because it was bad, but because it could have been so, so good. But Microsoft brought the Pro version to Vegas and let us play—and I couldn't be happier.

To be blunt, Surface Pro makes RT look like a mistake. Surface RT was a mistake—but fortunately for Microsoft (and more importantly, for us), Pro makes up for almost every deficiency of its smaller, cheaper sibling. It has the internal power and the physical flexibility to, for real this time, perhaps carve out a whole new category of computer. It could be the device you put in your bag and on your desk above all others. Almost every conceivable facet is superior this time around.

Where the Surface RT's screen was okay but certainly not in the same league as its high-density rivals, the Pro version shines oh so very bright: a luscious 1080p display pops to life each time you wake the thing, and it's as perfectly responsive as any other touch computer you're used to. It's beautiful to look at and rub.

Where the Surface RT's software was embarrassingly spare, well, that's just a non-issue. Pro runs real Windows 8—the same thing you'd install on a desktop—so you aren't confined to Microsoft's anemic, strip mall app store. You can install Photoshop, Civilization, WinZip, whatever the hell you want. If it's made for Windows and it's somewhat recent, it'll probably run on the Surface Pro—even some brief time playing Bulletstorm yielded totally acceptable performance, given that the thing is smaller than any laptop. It's not going to be your go-to gaming toy, but graphically, its Core i5 biceps are fine, and older titles should be butter.

The software importance can't be stated enough. Let's overstate it: this is a real computer, and Surface RT was not. If you don't like a native Windows 8 app, you can kick it over a cliff and download one of the bazillion alternatives available for x86 Windows systems. Almost all of the things you need for work and unwinding. Tons of choice. Tons of flexibility. The Pro model is powerful enough to drive a big, luxurious external monitor. Add in a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and you've got yourself a new desktop. Or stop mirroring, lay the Pro down flat, and use the entire thing as one big wonderful trackpad, with ample room for your fingers or a pen for Wacom-style artistry. The addition of a USB 3.0 port makes the prospect of desktop replacement even more real, and slurping over a batch of JPEG + RAW photo files straight off a DSLR and then viewing them on the big external screen was a joy.

But there must be some tradeoffs, right? Right. But not many. Battery life won't be as good due to power-hungrier components. The Pro requires a (quiet) fan. But the biggest worry was size, and I can assure you that Surface Pro is entirely comfortable. I was afraid it'd be a tank, but it's significantly thinner than my MacBook Air, and at 2 pounds, slightly lighter, too. It'll never be as comfortable to cozy up with as a Kindle, but it's hand and arm friendly enough to use as a tablet, and given the horsepower inside, fantastically skinny as a laptop rival. So, yes, it's bigger, but not enough to lose points.

What are you left with? The same lovely design as the RT version, without the most glaring shortcomings. I only had about an hour to spend with the Pro, which is nowhere near enough for anything resembling a verdict, but know this: where RT offered heartbreak, Pro offers hope. I just wish it'd been like this from the start.

We should have our full review ready for you guys by the end of the month.

via Sam Biddle - Gizmodo

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Amazon's AutoRip Goes Live! Gives Customers Free MP3s For CDs They Purchase

Amazon's AutoRip service has gone live and allows customers who have purchased CDs from Amazon's Music Store (all the way back to 1998) to get free MP3 versions of CDs they purchased.  The MP3's will be stored in user's "Amazon Cloud Player" accounts, Amazon's answer to iTunes, Google Music, and other such services that store users' music in a cloud.



The service currently offering over 50,000 albums from Amazon.com with more on the way, including backlog and most new releases. Thanks to deals made with record labels and music publishers, Amazon, can offer this service to its customers. Steve Boom, Amazon’s VP of Worldwide Digital Music, said the company now has deals in place with the three major labels (EMI, now part of Universal, Sony, and Warner) as well as hundreds of independent labels. Amazon has participation from all the major music publishers and “hundreds, if not thousands,” of smaller publishers, says Boom.

AutoRip will automatically be available to customers, even if they never signed up or downloaded the cloud player software, who purchased a CD from Amazon. Those customers will receive an email shortly after today's launch informing them that a digital copy of that purchase is available free on the cloud.

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap's Contributor

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Facebook schedules mystery event for January 15, rumoured to launch Facebook phone

Facebook is holding a press conference on January 15 (Tuesday) at its California headquarters, where the company is speculated to announce its much-rumoured and much-awaited smartphone.
For a long time, we have been hearing about the Facebook smartphone, and it seems that the time has come to witness the launch of a Facebook phone.
However, it is not confirmed as yet, because the company has not yet said anything as to what it is going to announce on January 15. The invites sent to members of the press read, "Come and see what we're building."

But one thing is clear that there is some significant announcement that Facebook is going to make at its January 15 event, because Facebook does not usually hold major press conferences at its headquarters.

-via IBN Live

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Apple is working on low-cost IPhone to be released as early as this year

The Wall Street Journal, along with other media outlets, have confirmed that they too have heard that Apple is working on a cheaper version of the IPhone.

The cheaper IPhone will be made from cheaper parts and may resemble the latest IPhone 5 with a less-expensive body made from polycarbonate plastic, or from recycled materials from older versions of the IPhone. Taking this step can help Apple pick up sales in emerging markets where people's income is not as high and lower cost Android models are widely available. According to the WSJ's report, Apple has been developing this cheaper iPhone for a while now, but could not decide how to move forward with the device.

A less-cost iPhone risks narrowing Apple's profit margins, which executives have would hate to sacrifice. Even small changes in margins often sway investors.

Is Apple getting desperate to stay on top? This contributor thinks so...

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Walmart to offer iPhone 4 & 5 on a prepaid basis with Straight Talk

Walmart announced yesterday that it plans to offer the iPhone 4 and 5 on a pre-paid plan from Straight Talk, a no-contract carrier that runs on Verizons network and offers unlimited talk, text, and data plans. Straight talk offers two contractless plans, a $45 dollar unlimited talk, text, and data plan or for $60 dollars you get everything plus unlimited international calls to certain countries. You'll still need to fork over some money for a 16GB iPhone 5 for $649 or an 8GB iPhone 4 for $449 but at least you will save money in the long run and not be stuck on a 2 year contract.

Lets do that math:
Verizon Wireless (2gb limited - $60 plus $40 line access fee tacked on to smartphones)                             

16gb iPhone 5                                                   $ 199.99 (requires 2 year agreement contract)
One time activation fee                                    $   35.00 (for new customers)
Required 2 year contract - Cheapest              $2400.00 ($100 x 24 months, 2gb per month data cap)
Grand Total                                                       $2634.99 (not including deposits, fees, and taxes)      


Straight Talk


16gb iPhone 5                                                      $ 649.00 (no contract)
One time sim fee plus one month                       $   60.00 (for new customers)
If you keep them for 2 years                              $1035.00 ($45 x 23 months, unlimited)
Grand Total                                                         $1744.00 (flat)     


Verizon Total                                                       $2634.99
Straight Talk Total                                              $1744.00
Total Difference                                                  $   890.99

A $890 dollar savings is not bad and gives you room to upgrade to the next iPhone which I'm sure will be available in less then a year. If you still decide to stick with major carriers that require long-term contract then well your probably a sucker.

Straight Talk's plans will be available January 11 at over 2,000 locations. Take that Verizon and AT&T, now you can no longer screw people over with your high priced plans!

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Samsung Smart Window Now a Closer Reality - CES 2013

Samsung's CES showcase is just phenomenal at this years CES. From Samsung Smart Hub, to their flexible displays, Samsung has now introduced us to their transparent display cases!

Photo/Image courtesy of SlashGear

A display case?
Samsung's display case allows you to drop in whatever product you are trying to sale, upload a video advertisement to it, and watch as the crowds build around it. The display case plays an advertisement video right on the glass and allows the viewer to see the product inside at the same time.

The case is a typical lighted glass box but the front glass panel is actually a display that plays video loops, or specs of the products. It also has a full PC control that allows the user to interact with it which can help display different prices, specs, or presentations for various models.




-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Samsung Reveals 5.5 Inch Flexible Screen CES 2013

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Samsung has revealed there 5.5 inch flexible screen. The flexible screen demoed at this years CES will is a 1280×720-pixel HD screen with a 267 pixel density. Samsung originally wanted the screen to be used for smartphones but they will also reveal a television size 55-inch flexible screen.

Samsung displayed the world's first curved OLED TV at CES on Tuesday. (Salvador Rodriguez / Los Angeles Times / January 8, 2013)

A bendable screen will offer designers a lot of freedom, and the flexibility prevents the screen from cracking while in someone's pocket. However the screens will not be available any time soon as Samsung still needs to develop two components that make a screen, a screen, the touch panel and cover lens.

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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The New Smart Hub -- Samsung CES 2013 Press Conference

The new Samsung Smart Hub provides a simple, intuitive way to access programs faster and easier. Navigate from live TV to video on demand, personal files, social networks and apps. S Recommendation analyzes your viewing habits and provides suggestions, making it a powerful, personalized TV experience.

Appearance of device may vary. Features vary by product/model. See product pages for more information and availability. Some features may not be available in all areas. The above content is provided for information purposes only. All information included herein is subject to change without notice. Samsung or its employees, subsidiaries, parent, or affiliates ("Samsung"), is not responsible for any direct or indirect damages, arising from or related to use or reliance of the above content.

via SamsungUSATube

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Asus Qube for Google TV unveiled at CES 2013

Asus has introduced us to the Qube, a streaming player featuring Android Google TV. While Google's own Nexus Q has been post-poned til God knows when, Asus has decided to spark our interest in this area by releasing its own streaming box.

The Asus Qube will come with built in movement and voice control, so now you will no longer need to find the remote control when you lose it. The movement control allows you to manipulate the cube shaped user interface. A special remote will also let you control it via an Android device such as a phone, or tablet. The Qube will also feature Google Play, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, HBO Go, and various other apps, including Chrome, and boast 50GB of cloud storage.

The Qube is ideally a great product with some features that make it very easy to use and the $150 dollar price tag make it affordable for anyone to enjoy streaming TV.


The Asus Qube will be available Spring 2013.

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Huawei's Ascend Mate 6.1 Officially Revealed

Photo courtesy of Chris Velazco

Weeks of rumors, leaks and speculations revolving around the Chinese company's much anticipated Ascend Mate 6.1 phone tablet have finally been put to rest today. Huawei has officially released the Ascend Mate 6.1, a large screen (6.1 inches, hence the name) phone tablet running Android Jellybean 4.1.2 OS. The phone/tablet hybrid features a 720p screen, a 1.4GHz quad-core chipset from its HiSilicon semiconductor division, 2gb of RAM, 8gb of internal flash storage, and a large 4,050mAh battery to power it all up. Although there where many reports that the Ascend Mate 6.1 was supposed to come with a faster processor and a 1080p screen, this particular model didn't. The Ascend Mate 6.1 is Huawei's largest smartphone to date.

The device runs so buttery smooth and handling it feels so nice as the phone is very thin compared to other smaller phones out there. One things for sure, people with large hands can one-hand this phone much easier as it is large.

Unfortunately Huawei's device will not be available through local carriers and there is no word as to if and when it will be but you can purchase it directly from the company through Amazon.

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Apple App Store hits 40 billion downloads; 20 billion in 2012, alone

The App Store now has over 500 million active accounts and 775,000 applications.

Apple's App Store has reached a new milestone in total app downloads.

The iPhone maker announced today that there have been 40 billion unique application downloads in its App Store since the marketplace launched in 2008. Apple's unique download tally excludes redownloads and updates. Of the 40 billion apps downloaded so far, nearly 20 billion were downloaded in 2012, the company said.

Apple's App Store now has over 500 million active accounts, and 2 billion apps were downloaded in December alone, making it the best month in the marketplace's history. The App Store has 775,000 apps available for iOS devices.

Developers, of course, have benefited from the App Store's growth. According to Apple senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, over $7 billion has been paid out to iOS developers.

The App Store's growth over the last year has been nothing short of astounding. In June, Apple announced that its marketplace had hit 30 billion downloads and 400 million active accounts. At that time, the App Store had 650,000 apps available. In October, those figures grew to 35 billion application downloads and 700,000 apps.

Based on those figures, it appears Apple's App Store growth is accelerating. Whereas it took four months for Apple to tally 5 billion downloads between June and October, that jumped to three months between October and January.

An acceleration in app downloads is expected to continue over the next 12 months, according to research firm Flurry Analytics. That company said last week in a report detailing app downloads across iOS and Android, that over 1 billion mobile programs will be downloaded on those operating systems each week between now and the fourth quarter of 2013. After that, the research firm expects a combined 2 billion apps to be downloaded to Android- and iOS-based devices each week.

That Apple decided to announce the news today might not be a coincidence. The Consumer Electronics Show -- an event Apple has stayed away from for years -- is in full swing this week. In years past, Apple has often announced news on CES days to steal some headlines. This year has proven no different.

This story has been updated throughout the morning.

via cnet:

Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems.

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Samsung to release "something big" at CES 2013

Samsung tells consumers to "get ready" for a big reveal at this years CES. Will it be the successor to the Galaxy S3?

The World is Waiting
A post and video on Samsung's blog suggest that a new product will be revealed at CES, but not much

information is given. So what could it be? Can it be the revealing of the successor to the Galaxy S3, the Galaxy S4? Rumors have circled around that the Galaxy S4 is coming and could potentially feature a quad core processor, a 13 megapixel camera, and an unbreakable screen (We'll see about that). Although Samsung has stated that the release for the S4 will not be in early 2013.

Will it be the unveiling of Samsung's first phone featuring Tizen OS? One things for sure, Samsung has confirmed that shipments of their first phones featuring Tizen will be shipped out this year.

If you haven't already read about it, Tizen is the next open source OS created by the Linux Foundation. All you Linux users can jump for joy as this is a big step forward for open source platforms.

More info on taken from the Tizen website:

Tizen is an open source, standards-based software platform supported by leading mobile operators, device manufacturers, and silicon suppliers for multiple device categories such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, in-vehicle infotainment devices, and smart TVs. Tizen offers an innovative operating system, applications, and a user experience that consumers can take from device to device.

The Tizen project resides within the Linux Foundation and is governed by a Technical Steering Group. The Technical Steering Group is the primary decision-making body for the open source project, with a focus on platform development and delivery, along with the formation of working groups to support device verticals.

The Tizen Association has been formed to guide the industry role of Tizen, including gathering of requirements, identification and facilitation of service models, and overall industry marketing and education.

Tizen provides a robust and flexible environment for application developers, based on HTML5. With HTML5's robust capabilities and cross platform flexibility, it is rapidly becoming the preferred development environment for mobile apps and services. The Tizen SDK and API allow developers to use HTML5 and related web technologies to write applications that run across multiple device segments.

For now the world will have to wait two more days to see what Samsung has in-store for us "Techie" consumers.

-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Consumer Reports Says iPhone 5 Is The Worst Of The Top Smartphones

One of the reasons Apple's stock has gotten clobbered lately is that many people think Apple has lost its edge in its most important product line: smartphones.

The iPhone has been such a mind-boggling success that it drives more than half of Apple's overall profit. And for most of the past five years, Apple has had a lock on the "best smartphone in the market."

In recent years, however, competitors have caught up with the iPhone. Some reviewers think Samsung's new phone is superior to Apple's latest phone. And many people expect Samsung to leap ahead when the new Galaxy S4 comes out this spring.

Another respected product reviewer, Consumer Reports, agrees with those who think Apple has lost its edge. In fact, Consumer Reports' conclusion is even more depressing for Apple fans. Consumer Reports actually rates the iPhone 5 the worst of the top smartphones.

CR doesn't spell out the reasoning for its numerical ratings (yet), but the results are still startling. Below is the summary box of CR's lab tests, which appears in the February issue of the magazine. The numerical ratings are close together, but they're unequivocal.

As you can see, on AT&T and Sprint, the iPhone 5 is rated behind two phones:

* The LG Optimus G (Android) [The what?]

* The Samsung Galaxy S III (Android)

On Verizon, meanwhile, the iPhone 5 is rated beneath at least three smartphones:

* The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx (Android, and owned by Google)

* The Motorola Droid Razr HD (Android, and owned by Google)

* The Samsung Galaxy S III (Android)



Consumer Reports

Not even ranked in the top 3 at Verizon? Ranked behind Google phones in addition to Samsung phones? That must feel like a bit of a slap in the face.

Apple had better be cranking on the iPhone 6...

-via Henry Blodget - http://www.businessinsider.com/consumer-reports-iphone-5-2013-1

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'The Last of Us' - A 2013 PS3 Exclusive!

PlayStation 3 exclusive ‘The Last of Us’ hits shelves next May 7, 2013. Watch the trailer below.



Not only did the New Year bring a fresh start to many but it also brought a whole new year of fresh titles and a wide range of much anticipated games we have all been waiting on. One such game is 'The Last of Us', a survival horror action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 3.

Zombie apocalypse game, what else is new?

Although it has the typical "surviving in a zombie apocalypse" setting, this game will stand out among the rest as it uses some features from the 'Uncharted' series we have all grown to love. Not only that but it will also have a new game play mechanic the developers call "dynamic stealth", meaning that there are many different types of strategies and techniques that the player can use at any given time as they approach a new situation, to which enemies will react differently.

Though situations can have a different outcome, it all mainly depends on the player's preference of play.

Whats this game about?

Well the game takes place 20 years after a cordyceps-type fungus (yes cordyceps are an actual fungus that actually turns ants into zombies) has killed millions, with nature gradually retaking the abandoned cities and towns (Remember "I am Legend"?). The remaining humans who survived are forced to live in quarantined zones under the martial law by the U.S. Military. "Joel", a black-marketeer from one of the zones, goes through an event that forces him to make a promise to an old friend that he will get "Ellie" and take her away from the harsh regime. They must venture out into the deteriorating remains of the US and avoid the Infected, humanoid creatures whose sole aim has become to spread the fungal infection, and scavengers that survive outside the quarantine zones who see "Joel" and "Ellie" as prey. Adding to their problems, the military are determined to find "Ellie" and bring her back under their power.

Characters and Gameplay:
  

The game plays from a third person view and you play as "Joel", a ruthless survivor with few moral lines left to cross. Unlike other survival games you have a companion, a young girl named "Ellie" a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, which is controlled by the A.I. I know what you're thinking, "A.I. fuuuuuuuuu!!!!" and yes I know they usually slow you down, get you killed or get in your way but after watching some gameplay trailers this one looks promising not to suck.

Explore the world and areas otherwise in-accessible in most games by utilizing the games new and improved "Uncharted" engine. This allows you to use objects in the world such as ladders, boxes, and climb to reach those hard to get places! To fight off the infected, once-humans, or the humans who just want to take the things you have, the game will include gun-fighting, melee combat and a sneak and cover system to easily get around gangs of enemies.

Ah yes 'Last of Us' has all the elements to be a ground-breaking game. It is one game that I will be looking forward to this year.

More Screenshots:

'Last of Us' is available to pre-order from Amazon for $59.99.

Get official 'The Last of Us' wallpapers here!



-Alex Pardo - Geekstrap'd Contributor

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Focus on Yourself to Alleviate Social Pain

Image: EVA TATCHEVA

Many people who suffer the pain, depressionand negative health effects associated with social anxiety or loneliness do not respond to common therapy tactics or drugs. Two new studies offer hope from an unlikely source: rather than focusing on your relationships with others, turn inward for relief.

Mindfulness meditation—which has been around for well over 2,000 years—has many forms, but an extensive body of research supports the effectiveness of one training program in particular. Mindfulness-BasedStress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program developed in 1979 by a U.S. physician. Initially created to help patients suffering from chronic pain, the program has been found to reduce symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, even among people with cancer and HIV.

In one of the new studies, published in the October 2012 Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 55- to 85-year-old adults were randomized to either receive MBSR or be put on a waiting list for the program. The loneliness of the participants who received MBSR decreased after training, whereas the loneliness of the wait-listed control subjects increased slightly. MBSR also reduced inflammation—the cause of loneliness-related health risks such as heart attack or stroke—as measured by levels of stress proteins and proinflammatory gene expression.

The other study, published online in August 2012 in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, found that MBSR reduced negative emotions in people with social anxiety disorder.

Mindfulness training teaches people to be fully attentive to their present experience in a nonjudgmental way, which is believed to help reduce the rumination common tomood disorders. “A mindful perspective teaches people how to apply a brake between a single lonely thought and what could be a resulting chain of distressing thoughts and feelings,” says psychologist J. David Creswell of Carnegie Mellon University, co-author of the study on loneliness. To find an MBSR program in your area, go tohttp://tinyurl.com/findMBSR.

This article was originally published with the title Focus on Yourself to Alleviate Social Pain.

Author: Tori Rodriguez

via: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=focus-on-yourself-to-alleviate-soci

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Robot Glider Detects Rogue Waves and Other Ocean Anomalies Missed by Satellites

PAPA MAU: Liquid Robotics' wave-powered sub Papa Mau autonomously traveled 16,668 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean, in the process studying rogue waves and other oceanic phenomena undetected by satellites in the worldwide communications system.Image: Courtesy of Liquid Robotics

The wave-powered sub Papa Mau not only set a record while crossing the Pacific Ocean autonomously, it also studied rogue waves and other marine phenomena invisible to eyes in the sky

By Karen A. Frenkel

When the robotic Papa Mau completed its 16,668-kilometer scientific expedition across the Pacific Ocean last month, the surfboard-sized submarine did more than set a new world record for the longest distance traveled by an autonomous vehicle. The wave-powered sub reached Australia’s Hervey Bay with a load of data that will keep marine biologists, oceanographers and other scientists busy for quite some time, including observations of rogue waves that satellites failed to detect during the Papa Mau’s year-long voyage.

On what appeared to be a calm, sunny day last February, Papa Mau transmitted data indicating rough weather—six- to 7.6-meter rolling seas and winds blowing at 50 knots. The sub had been at sea since November 17, 2011, the first of a fleet of four robot subs (called Wave Gliders) launched from San Francisco Bay by Liquid Robotics, Inc.

“There was not a cloud in the sky, nothing was on the satellites,” says Bill Vass, CEO of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Liquid Robotics, a provider of ocean data services for shipping, energy and environmental companies. “And we said, ‘Oh, there must be something wrong with [the submarine’s] sensors.’ But when all four robots saw [the waves], we turned on the cameras. It was pretty astounding.” Nearby, an unfortunate sailboat lost its mast and was rescued by a Dutch freighter. “Besides that sailboat, the freighter, and us, no one would have seen those waves,” Vass adds.

Maritime history is filled with fantastical stories of rogue waves that appear suddenly, like walls of water, to swamp unsuspecting sailors and their vessels. As recently as 2010, several such monstrous waves hit the cruise ship Louis Majesty in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain, an incident that killed two people and injured six.

Satellites in the worldwide communications system used for transmitting data from offshore locations “make their best guess” from 400 kilometers up about weather conditions at sea, including wind speeds and wave heights, according to Vass. They not only miss giant waves but are “tremendously inaccurate” in estimating the speeds of current and wave direction, he says

After comparing satellite data with his robots’ findings, Vass believes satellites detect surface shear, which comes from winds and broad currents. There are two dimensions to surface shear. One is the difference in currents at the ocean’s surface compared with those flowing at lower levels of the water column. The second occurs when two currents collide and generate smaller localized eddies and turbulence. Both are important to know when determining circulation and its effect on shipping energy usage and fuel consumption.

“We’re finding the satellites are way off for microcurrents,” Vass says. “In many cases, the satellite models were showing currents 180 degrees off from the currents we actually experienced, and off by a factor of two to three in speed. Our robots feel the first eight meters of ocean.” A drifter—a buoy that may submerge to a depth, then rise to the surface while tracking the path of a current—might detect a surface current, and a satellite might “see” the first few inches of the ocean, but Vass says his robot gliders “feel the full breadth of the current.” As such, the gliders ran through a series of eddies that were invisible to the satellites. They also crossed the equator where, according to satellite models, a huge shear current was thought to run east to west. Yet the flotilla experienced none of that. Upwellings, rising masses of water that can be small or enormous and that often carry deep ocean nutrients to the surface, were also in the wrong places compared to what the satellites indicated, he adds.

“The speed and directions of currents have major effects on the shipping industry, oil and gas and marine operations, as well as global weather,” Vass says. “The robot gliders’ ability to show measurements will change the way many of these industries work in the future.”

Others are more skeptical of the significance of the gliders’ findings and point out that the limitations of satellite observations are already well known. Oscar Schofield, a Rutgers University professor of bio-optical oceanography thinks that Liquid Robotics is overstating the importance of its findings. “I wouldn’t take such a negative tone,” he says. “We’ve been well aware for a long time––since we put the satellites up––that they are limited. They are the only way to provide a global view of the ocean, albeit weighted to the surface, but they are still the most effective tool.”

The question is how to fill in the subsurface, 3-D structure, Schofield says. Robotic gliders—including those made by Liquid Robotics and Falmouth, Mass.-basedTeledyne Webb Research—as well as scientific buoys like the Argos drifter are filling the data gap, he adds.

In June, Liquid Robotics’ gliders also documented a more than 1,900-kilometer-long chlorophyll and plankton bloom—the largest ever and not usually seen that time of year—initially undetected by satellites. “At this resolution, the chlorophyll bloom provides a groundbreaking link between scientific modeling and in-situ measurement and real-time data transmission,” says Liquid Robotics oceanographer Luke Beatman. The finding is significant because algae and phytoplankton are the base of the oceanic food chain and also regulate climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Commenting on algal bloom, Scott Glenn, a Rutgers University professor who specializes in physical oceanography, says he finds that “the near-surface spatial maps of temperature and phytoplankton distributions obtained by satellite combined with the vertical profiles obtained from underwater profiling robots and gliders are very powerful observational tools, illuminating a chronically undersampled ocean that varies rapidly in space and time.”

Satellites provide maps of instants in time whereas surface wave gliders and underwater profiling gliders provide time series that move around underneath these maps, and can be redirected by these maps to the areas of greatest interest, Glenn says, adding that he prefers to use all three means simultaneously for “sustained sampling trajectories through this unseen world.” Both Glenn and Schofield are part ofRutgers’ Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences Coastal Ocean Observation Lab.

Papa Mau’s journey came to a close when it arrived in Bundaberg, Australia, on November 20, having weathered gale-force storms, fended off sharks, skirted around the Great Barrier Reef, and finally battled and surfed the East Australian Current to reach its destination Down Under. The robot gliders could change the economics of sea exploration and monitoring. The average research vessel costs $37,500 per day due to fuel, crew and maintenance, so an expedition like Papa Mau’s by ship could cost tens of millions of dollars. Instead, each robot glider costs up to $3,000 per day.

Next up, Liquid Robotics has chosen five teams of scientists to study the new data. Researchers from University of California Merced, University of California Santa Cruz, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Texas and Boston-based software firm Wise Eddy will use the information to analyze the ocean’s health and respiration, its biomass and other information about organisms critical to ocean life.

The second robot glider, Benjamin, is expected to arrive in Australia in early 2013. The two others are being repaired in Hawaii and will eventually swim to Japan. Liquid Robotics is next contemplating a robot sub mission circumnavigating Antarctica.

Author: Karen A. Frenkel

via: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=robot-glider-rogue-wave-satellite

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