Windows 8 Expected in 2012 According to Roadmap [Windows 8]

Apparently we won’t have to deal with upgrading our Microsoft-driven computers for another three years. According to a tentative roadmap, the next version of the OS, Windows 8, won’t be arriving until 2012.

This release date would be consistent with the schedule Microsoft has been maintaining, but I suggest they don’t rush it. I still can’t let go of some Windows XP installs, much less jump to Windows 8 so quickly. [MSFT Kitchen via Electronista]

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Flo TV Shown Off On The iPhone For Reasons Unknown [IPhone Apps]

I get that this Flo TV iPhone demo is just a proof of concept. That’s fine! I’m just a little confused as to what the concept is.

Is it just what they’re showing us? A Flo TV app, that requires some kind of accessory to tune into broadcasts? That’s possible, but given how well the iPhone can stream video over 3G, it’d be a hard sell, even with Flo TV’s cable-like channel selection. It would also help if said accessory wasn’t larger than the actual iPhone.

Or is it to foster excitement over the idea of native Flo TV hardware support in the iPhone, like in the HTC Imagio? Because that will never, ever happen. So again, why? [Electric Pig]

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Second Generation Pogoplug Lets You Share Multiple USB Drives Over the Internet [Internet Sharing]

Like the prior model, the new Pogoplug allows for USB drive sharing over the Internet. It’ll run for $129, still have no service fees, take up to four USB drives, and have Twitter and Facebook integration.

Aside from automatically syncing content with a Mac or PC, you can share and watch movies, listen to music, or view photos directly through the Pogoplug website and even on an iPhone. Since we looked at the original version, Pogoplug has apparently made some upgrades to add a drag-and-drop interface and sharing over social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. But as we mentioned back then, while this is a great interface and solution, you are going to be relying on the company staying in business in order to be able to share data.

That one downside or not, the Pogoplug still remains a far quicker solution that setting up a separate Windows Server or similar, so if you’re not put off by the $30 price increase since the original, you can pre-order now.

Second Generation Pogoplug™ Unveiled Today
Next-generation Hardware Design and Software Provide Enhanced Storage, Multimedia and Social Media Capabilities

San Francisco, Calif. – November 20, 2009 – Cloud Engines, Inc. unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from your home or office through the Internet. It allows you to access, share and even stream your personal digital media directly to anybody, anywhere in the world. Your content always remains physically in your home or office, making it secure, convenient and available on your terms. Pogoplug is perfect for those individuals with increasingly mobile lifestyles and small businesses in need of simple, inexpensive mobile data access solutions.

“The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product roadmap, we are bringing a great second-generation product that gives our customers access to a host of new features that both improve the function of the Pogoplug, and add to the fun of using it as well.” said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. “We are committed to giving our customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. The result is what you see here today.”

NEW HARDWARE
The new Pogoplug design retains the simplicity and ease of use of the original while listening to consumer feedback and adding the ability to directly connect up to 4 external hard drives at once. The resulting product boasts an improved design with greatly improved functionality for users with multiple drives and an increasing need for easy synching and sharing of their digital libraries. This upgrade turns the Pogoplug into an even more prominent feature in the modern digital home or small business.

NEW FEATURES

Automatically Synchronize Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronize their Pogoplug with their PC or Mac to automatically import new content from popular applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. This feature allows Pogoplug owners to “set it and forget it” and always have access to new photos, videos and music from anywhere on the Internet.

Drag-and-Drop Music and Photo Slideshows
Users can easily create and share fun and engaging slideshows using their stored photos, videos and music. Creating a slideshow with Pogoplug is as simple as drag and drop, and sharing these slideshows is just as easy as ever. Once a user’s link is shared and viewed, their slideshow will immediately begin with the photos, videos and music they selected, playing seamlessly in the viewer’s browser.

Easier Sharing with Pogoplug Address Book
Pogoplug Address Book greatly improves the speed and ease of use of sharing with a user’s friends and family. Pogoplug automatically remembers all email addresses entered in a user’s previous shares - even if that share no longer exists – and makes them available in an easy to use address book to make sharing truly one click away.

Global Search Across Multiple Drives and Pogoplugs
With support for multiple drives on a single Pogoplug (and multiple Pogoplugs on the same account) Pogoplug has added “global” search support across all of a user’s Pogoplugs and drives. Search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view all of their photos, videos and music in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Organize Your Music, Photos and Videos
Pogoplug automatically displays music by Album, Artist and Genre, and shows cover art for quick access to a user’s favorite music. Photos are now displayed by photo timeline and videos are only a click away, including the ability to watch a preview in the thumbnail itself.

Play movies directly from my.pogoplug.com, or even to the iPhone
Pogoplug now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for the most popular cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Movies can be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug website – or even from an iPhone!

Pricing and Availability
We are currently taking Pre-Orders for Pogoplug at www.pogoplug.com Units will ship before the end of the year – just in time for the Holiday Season. The Pogoplug has a suggested retail price of $129, with no additional service fees.

[Pogoplug]

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Shakespeare’s plays have a long, long history of being modded to fit the times. We’ve seen Macbeths do the running man, and Cordelias dressed like Susie Sioux — and we’ve also seen Forbidden Planet, so we know that Robby was just a tinned up Ariel. So robots in Shakespeare? Sure, we’ve seen that before, but what haven’t we seen intertwined into bad theatre? Well, Texas A&M’s just staged A Midsummer Night’s Dream to include robotic cast members. Working with Professor Robin Murphy, who heads up the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue, director Amy Hopper hacked the script a bit to include an air robot — which is about the size of a pizza, and has been used in military operations — playing a fairy, and six small radio controlled helicopters. The robotics team used the opportunity to observe how cast and audience members reacted to the robots, and we’re pretty sure the audience warmed to them far more quickly than they would to Christian Bale or Sean Penn.

Robots perform in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ said to outdo the cast of New Moon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [Engadget]

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Sometimes, Dreams Come True [IPhone Apps]

In 2007 I whined and whined asking for an iPhone Software Developer’s Kit. Back then, I asked for five apps. It took two years, but today I’ve got them all. The last one just came in yesterday.

It’s not Voice Candy, but Voices looks as good, if not better: Retro tape recorder and microphone, cute icons, simple touch interface, and sharing via Twitter, Facebook, and eMail, so you can spook everyone with that infernal Reverse Voice effect. For $1, it’s impossible to resist.

[iTunes App Store—Thanks Juanlu and Lisa Bettany, who stars in the Voices’ promo video]

Now that I think about it, most of the apps I pasted in this graphic are now in the iPhone in one form or another.

Are you still missing a favorite?

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Insane Weapons, Robots and Spy Gear from the Paris Military-Police Expo [Weapons]

The Milipol exhibition in Paris is where all the pros play with the military-industrial complex’s hottest toys. I used special commando skills (and a press badge) to infiltrate the premises and show you the world’s freshest, most mind-blowing security tech.

To bypass the gallery format, click here. And no, this is not a holiday gift guide.

OSA PB2 “Less-Lethal” Multipurpose Pistol
Ever since I watched Rosa Klebb trying to kill Bond with her shoe-dagger, I considered the Russians the world experts in tiny hideaway weapons. The PB2 is an eeency-weeency little double-barreled “less-lethal” pistol weighing less than 7 ounces, firing anything from rubber bullets to flares to flashbangs. It’s also got a safety and integral laser sights, which can be upgraded to near-Scott-Summers strength on order. Just don’t practice on some poor country bumpkin like they did here. [OSA]

DrugWipe by Securetec
The DrugWipe is what makes the customs guys all-knowing. It’s a tiny drugtest in a pocket. These plastic sticks can test up to four classes of illegal drugs in a single go. According to Securetec’s PR guy, your saliva can give you away 12 hours after doing—or even just being near—cocaine, weed, opium, meth or whathaveyou. All the government grunts have to do is wipe your tongue. Won’t open your mouth? They can also swipe your sweat and random stuff you’re carrying. [Securetec]

Spy Watch
When I approached the director of a small security/protection company to ask about this normal looking watch, he wouldn’t tell me a whole lot. What I managed to squeeze out of him is that although it’s normal size, it also records audio and video. Near the 2 o’clock mark you can see a tiny lens, activated by buttons on the side. He wasn’t the only cagey guy on the show floor—the guys in a nearby booth forbade me from taking pictures of their micro surveillance gear.

Trikke uPT
The Trikke uPT (ultralight personal transporter) was the funnest (and funniest) thing at the entire expo, and that’s saying a lot when you’re surrounded by a pirateload of guns. It’s an idea so simple its inventor, the dark-suited Dutchman whizzing around on it, couldn’t figure why his potential buyers would spend any money at all on the wayyyy more expensive Segways parked in the next booth. The uPT is a trike tricked out with a 250-watt electric motor and a 22-mile range lithium-ion battery; it weighs just over 37 pounds. And like that blasted Segway, there are plenty of models to choose from. [Trikke]

RiotBot by Technorobot
The RiotBot is billed by its makers as “the first robot for riot control.” It uses a PS3-looking remote controller to zip this PepperBall-equipped metal beast at 12 miles/hour into all kinds of riots. The carbine fires at 700 rounds per minute and can be operated for 2 hours. [Technorobot]

MaxFit Gloves
It’s usually next to impossible to do precise tasks with gloves on. Most of the time, your hands move around in the gloves, you can’t feel what you’re holding and you end up feeling as useless as a eunuch in a whorehouse. But the MaxFit workgloves are fanfriggintastic. They were the thinnest, grippiest workgloves I had ever worn. Their try-out test was having me grip an Armor-All lubed PVC tube, then try to twist it out of my hand—it didn’t budge. Unfortunately, though the site advertises that it’s good for construction, DIYers and “fall yardwork,” I couldn’t help but wonder what ulterior activities they were promoting it for at a security show. [MaxFit]

Piexon Guardian Angel
The Guardian Angel is a tiny plastic toy that looks like your niece’s water pistol, but it’s actually a lightweight, disposable two-shot explosive-propelled pepper-spray gun. The cartridges give it way more range than a spray can. Just don’t carry it around in Scandinavia or other places where it’s banned, or they’ll arrest you for it (like they nearly did with me two months ago). Buy the way, it’s interesting to note that the Piexon website names “liberal politics” as a chief reason for needing more protection these days. [Piexon]

Rimmex 288 Prototype Amphibot
The Rimmex 288 is a prototype amphibious robot that can roll straight into water—streams, rivers and lakes mostly, or just very muddy terrain—and then roll right back out again. Its single arm with 6 degrees of freedom can be swapped with whatever you like—from a gun to an x-ray, apparently, depending on your, uh, objectives. [ROV Developpement]

Apoorva Prasad is a freelance writer and photographer based in Paris, France, who recently covered the Milipol 2009 military-police expo for us. He has a thing for holo-scoped assault rifles, and sounds disappointed when admitting he’s never been Tased.

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Will eReaders Really Become Gaming Devices? [EReaders]

eReaders are getting powerful enough to become fully-fledged Internet tablets, but gaming devices? That’s a new spin. Turns out Qualcomm has a detachable game controller add-on for that Snapdragon-powered eReader prototype we first showed you on Wednesday. Take a look:

Qualcomm says it’ll be up to the various manufacturers to create devices built on this reference design, but Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity would make multiplayer gaming pretty interesting. Just depends if ARM-based operating systems, like Android, get the right games.

The concept has a 5.7-inch display that uses Qualcomm’s “mirasol” screen technology that provides better battery life and smooth video playback. Problem is, for now, this reference is just a static-image prototype. Yet another eReader angle that we’ll be watching for you, though. [SlashGear]

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Zepto Computers files for bankruptcy

Zepto Computers may not have exactly made a huge name for itself during its relatively short existence, but it did stand out from the pack somewhat with some high-end, unusually understated gaming laptops (amongst other things). That apparently wasn’t enough to keep the Danish company afloat in the tumultuous computer business, however, as it has now announced that it’s filed for bankruptcy after not being able to secure some much needed financing. It’s not saying much more than that at the moment though, and it still seems to be business as usual on its website — though you might just want to hold off an any purchase you were planning.

[Thanks, Ian]

Filed under: Laptops

Zepto Computers files for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zepto Computers files for bankruptcy

Zepto Computers may not have exactly made a huge name for itself during its relatively short existence, but it did stand out from the pack somewhat with some high-end, unusually understated gaming laptops (amongst other things). That apparently wasn’t enough to keep the Danish company afloat in the tumultuous computer business, however, as it has now announced that it’s filed for bankruptcy after not being able to secure some much needed financing. It’s not saying much more than that at the moment though, and it still seems to be business as usual on its website — though you might just want to hold off an any purchase you were planning.

[Thanks, Ian]

Filed under: Laptops

Zepto Computers files for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NotebookReview  |  Cision Wire  | Email this | Comments

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