HARD TECHNOLOGY GROUP HTG NEWS TIPS

Yup, I have to thank to anyone who´s doing donations. Isnt much how much I have in PayPal, but it REALLY counts! Again, REALLY THANKS!!! Ps. If you dont know, Paypal address is: luigivsf@hotmail.com

as always, one picture worth more than a thousand words

Yup, business are not going good... but that's not a justification to ask for some donation. If you want, c'mon. If you don't want, no problem :) at least keep tuned in the blog, bcoz interesting stuff will arrive! PayPal: luigivsf@hotmail.com (any amount, doesn't matter)

Yup, there is my 1st story (spanish language) of "Personal opinions" blog! Hope you'll find interesting; I'll fill em' up more in following days Don't forget to checkout my youtube channel as well, just look for 'luigivsf' username (also works for Twitter, too) You can help me to buy a beer (or coffee): Paypal 'luigivsf@hotmail.com' Best regards!

Yep, Ive found some inspiration on writing some of my personal memories, stories, situations... It will be in spanish til' I translate it. Hope you find interesting or at least some kind of "escape" This blog will be maintained periodically as well, sorry for being SO lost! I was so busy attending some personal stuff but Im sure will return soon :) http://esmiputopuntodevista.blogspot.com/

Yup, suggestions are welcome :)

Meet Robin, the World of Warcraft tribute to legendary actor Robin Williams, who passed away last month. This re-creation of Williams' iconic Aladdin genie is just one of the multiple tributes to the beloved actor that the folks at Wowhead have discovered in Blizzard's popular MMORPG over the past few weeks. There are also references to Mork, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Toys, among others. Last month, Wowhead's data-miners found files and assets for Robin Williams references in the game's code, but now, they've actually found the tribute in-game. One Wowhead reader said they found the above genie on an island near Talador in the beta for WoW's next expansion, Warlords of Draenor. It's pretty much perfect. Says Wowhead: "You can summon Robin by rubbing the Ever-Burning Lamp. When first summoned, he exclaims 'INFINITE COSMIC POWER' and then shrinks and waves goodbye, saying 'itty bitty living space.'" SOURCE

I will write some personal opinions about stuff in my life (personal n work), hope you'll find interesting or at least fun. B.R.! Ps. It will be in spanish (while I start to do) then will translate to some understable english

It's been over a year and a half since Samsung briefly (and from a distance) showed off the Youm, a prototype of a smartphone with a curved display that wrapped around the right-hand side. While it seemed like a far-off reality at the time, Samsung announced today that the Youm's spiritual successor -- aptly named the Galaxy Note Edge -- would be coming out this fall. Sure, mass-producing a phone with a bent screen is a tremendous display of manufacturing prowess, not to mention something to show off at parties, but is there more to this unique handset than eye candy? KEEP IT READING at...

You know what can teach you Braille and piano a lot more quickly than traditional means? Vibrating gloves, or gloves with haptic feedback, if you will. In fact, IEEE Spectrum senior editor David Schneider was so intrigued by the idea, that he put together his own version to serve as a haptic touch-typing tutor for his 11-year-old son. He admits that his gloves (made using transistors, $14 worth of vibration motors purchased from eBay and long cords connecting them to an Arduino Nano board) aren't as sleek as Georgia Tech's piano-teaching ones. But, hey, they worked, and once he created a program to go along with them, they did their job well enough. Schneider's program displays one among the 100 most common English words at random on screen -- it does so one letter at a time, sending vibrations to the right finger as the letters appear. Not bad for something he merely cobbled together. But (as he realized later on), the program would've been a lot more fun and effe...

What good is having an ultra-powerful PC if you're still connecting it to a dusty old monitor? We reckon doing so would be pretty silly. Good thing that alongside the new Alienware Area 51, Dell's pulled the curtain back on its 34-inch Ultrasharp U3415W display then. It boasts a wider-than-widescreen 21:9 aspect ratio that's paired with 3,440 x 1,440 lines of resolution (just under 4K's 3,840 x 2,160) and a curved screen. Dell says that the monitor's wide field of view mated with its curves will give gamers a leg up on the competition because, compared to flat monitors, less eye movement is needed to take advantage of the player's peripheral vision. Intrigued to test that claim? You can do so come this December. We're hoping that regardless of size, though, a curved screen doesn't necessarily equate to an expensive screen -- Dell hasn't announced pricing for these displays just yet. SOURCE

Pizza is essentially the perfect food. Well, so long as you aren't lactose intolerant or have problems with gluten. We realize that those are pretty big caveats, but stay with us for a second -- it'll be worth it: NPR spotted a study of why different cheeses diverge in looks and taste when baked. Seriously. In a paper called "Quantification of Pizza Baking Properties of Different Cheeses, and Their Correlation with Cheese Functionality," researchers found that, among other things, the reason why mozzarella is so unique of a topping has to do with the way it's prepared. The cheese bubbles and browns because of its inherent elasticity due to stretching. In contrast, cheddar isn't as ideal because it isn't very elastic, thus it doesn't bubble as well. The same apparently goes for Edam and Gruyere, too. Lest you think this paper was just an excuse for the scientists to eat lots of pizza (maybe it was), they claim that by understanding why foods behave...

Despite all the changes going on in automobiles lately, one thing that's remained pretty consistent in every car I've driven has been the rearview mirror. We can check that one off now though, now that I've taken a test drive in a Nissan Rogue equipped with the new Smart rearview mirror. Due to roll out on the company's cars in North America next year, it's a simple augmentation that combines a traditional mirror with a video screen. Flipping the dimmer switch usually meant for night driving drops you into video camera mode, with a feed streamed directly from a 1.3MP camera mounted in the trunk that drops out the usual blockages from the car's interior for a clear view of what's behind you. Back up cameras are already common -- and highly necessary if you have my (lack of) parallel parking skills -- but is it time to change out something that's worked pretty well for the last century or so? KEEP IT READING!

Jonesing for a taste of the HTC One M8 lifestyle but don't have the cash to make it happen? Never fear -- Sprint has just started offering the fantastic-in-plastic HTC One E8 to customers who want M8 horsepower without the matching price tag. No, really: in case you've forgotten, the E8 features the exact same screen, BoomSound speakers, processor and RAM as its slightly upmarket brother. The only real difference is that the E8 only comes with 16GB of internal storage (which is mitigated pretty nicely by its microSD card slot) and the fact that HTC ditched the Duo camera setup in favor of a more traditional 13-megapixel sensor 'round the back. In the event that your gear acquisition syndrome just started flaring up, you can lay claim to your very own E8 (in either white or gray) for $400 outright, $0 down and $20.84/month for 2 years with Sprint's Easy Pay option, or $99 with a standard 2 year contract. SOURCE

HTC's Desire lineup often lives in the shadow of the One and Butterfly series, primarily because most of them are designed to appeal to budget-minded phone buyers. The company's been cranking out a lot of them this year (the 816, 616, 516, 610, 310 and 210, to name a few), and HTC isn't done adding more to the list. Its next phone is the Desire 510. Its claim to fame is that it's the least expensive -- er, "most affordable" -- LTE-capable phone the Taiwanese manufacturer has produced to date. Sadly, we weren't given any pricing details, but it likely varies by region. The 4.7-inch device should be available in markets worldwide, including Europe, Asia and the US (HTC confirmed that the device will be sold on Sprint, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Cricket). The 510 will begin selling in some markets in September, but we'll have to wait for each region to offer more specific launch details. Along with its affordability comes basic hardware componen...

Yes, people, this isn't a dream. What you see above is, indeed, a 3D-printed castle. After working on it for a few months, an architect from Minnesota has now finished building a fancy home made out of 3D printing materials. The man behind it, Andrey Rudenko, began his construction adventure back in April, when he decided he wanted to be the one to set a new bar for 3D-printed homes -- there have been some in China, but questions have been raised about the quality of them. "It has been two years since I first began toying with the idea of a 3D printer that was capable of constructing homes," Rudenko told the site 3DPrint. "When I started out, people struggled to believe this project would progress any further." Well, its very real now, and we can only imagine how dazzling it looks in person. KEEP IT READING

Is your Wesnesday evening missing a sense of ambiguous mystery? We've got something for you: Cyanogen and a start-up named Nextbit are working on "something really cool" for mobile devices, but won't say a word about what it actually is. Nextbit has been around for awhile, but its goals are nebulous at best. "The future of mobile is just getting started," its website reads. "We're building the groundbreaking technology that will take it to the next level." Cyanogen's partnership with the company was only just announced today, and it brings precious little information to the table -- offering only a survey suggesting that testers for the mysterious project may need to wipe their device (preferably a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7) to participate. Still, the partnership shows that Nextbit is finally gaining traction, and whatever it's working on may become public soon. The company is expanding its talent base, too -- remember that undetermined p...

Grab someone in the street and ask them about Imagination Technologies and they're more likely to run away than tell you that it's the company that designs the graphics chips for Apple's mobile devices. The company is more than just the home of PowerVR, however, and bought MIPS in order to become a direct rival to ARM, its more famous UK chip-design neighbor. Now, the company has decided to produce a Raspberry Pi-style development board in the hope of taking MIPS mainstream, describing it as "Raspberry Pi on steroids." Aside from the differences in hardware and chip architecture between the two devices, there's one big change in approach: Imagination Technologies is giving its board away for free. The romantically-named MIPS Creator CI20 is a barebones board that's capable of running Linux distros like Debian 7, as well as Android 4.4, and measures 90.2mm by 95.3mm. The hardware is packing a 1.2GHz MIPS32 CPU, 1 GB RAM and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU - the sa...

Yup, that's the question... If anyone have a better suggestion, feel free to contact me luigivsf@hotmail.com or luigivsf@gmail.com Thanks!

Since Windows Phone's humble beginnings, Microsoft has been the underdog in the wireless industry. Four years later, nothing's changed -- except, perhaps, a few more percentage points of market share. Even then, it's got a long way to go before catching up to Android and iOS. Let's give the company credit for pushing forward, improving its platform and not giving up, though: When I reviewed the last major OS update, I said I could finally use Windows Phone as my daily driver. The one element that Microsoft continued to lack, however, was buy-in from large phone makers. They put more focus on Android products, which meant anyone interested in Windows Phone had a small selection of devices to choose from. For Microsoft, it's time to experiment with a new, simpler approach. The software giant has buddied up with HTC to convert the One M8, its Android flagship, into a Windows Phone. That's all there is to it. There's absolutely no change to the hardware -- ...

Los Angeles' grand dreams of putting iPads in schools came into question a month ago, and they've now come to a screeching halt. Superintendent John Deasy has suspended a contract with Apple to both "take advantage of an ever-changing marketplace" (read: diversify hardware) and, crucially, to investigate recently raised ethical concerns. Allegedly, both Deasy and a top deputy have close links to executives at both Apple and curriculum provider Pearson, calling the whole iPad program into question; it suggests that officials were doing personal favors rather than taking kids' needs into account. Deasy is quick to claim that his team was only working closely with Apple and Pearson on the pilot, not the contract, and offered a deal to another major vendor. Whether or not that's true, the suspension suggests that the vision of an iPad in every LA classroom may never come to pass -- it's more likely that the broader device selection is here to stay. SOURC...

Here is a small tutorial that will help you increase the period of use of the DualShock 4 before needing to recharge it. The only negative point with the new controller from Sony over the Dualshock 3 is that the controller battery will not last more than a few hours. In this tutorial we will change the controller battery with another one from a smartphone, which will allow us to obtain a gain of 50% more of charging capacity. You will need: - A knife or scissors. - A battery (see below for battery details). - Tape or soldering iron. - Red and black electric wires which can be found easily in shops. The battery type to use: The current dualshock4 battery has 1000 mAh and 3.65 Volts, after we change to the 1500mAh battery, you will be able to get 50% extra power. You can use a 2000 mAh battery which will let you get more power but make sure it is 3.6 volts, 3.7 volts, lithium-ion, and the dimensions correspond to the origin of your PS4 controller battery. Changing the batter...

Gaming is very popular. Cloud gaming – where remote servers perform game execution and rendering on behalf of thin clients that simply send input and display output frames – promises any device the ability to play any game any time. Unfortunately, the reality is that wide-area network latencies are often prohibitive; cellular, Wi-Fi and even wired residential end host round trip times (RTTs) can exceed 100ms, a threshold above which many gamers tend to deem responsiveness unacceptable. In this paper, we present DeLorean, a speculative execution system for mobile cloud gaming that is able to mask up to 250ms of network latency. DeLorean produces speculative rendered frames of future possible outcomes, delivering them to the client one entire RTT ahead of time; clients perceive no latency. To achieve this, DeLorean combines: 1) future input prediction; 2) state space subsampling and time shifting; 3) misprediction compensation; and 4) bandwidth compression. To evaluate the prediction and...

Unless you're deep in the throes of it yourself, actual, clinical depression can be incredibly hard to wrap your head around. Sure, you can scroll through the Wikipedia article all you like, but intellectually knowing about and feeling depression are two completely different beasts. Zoe Quinn's Depression Quest (which recently hit Steam after a year floating around on the web) is an experience that sort of straddles the line between the two, and -- in spite of a related mess that's still unfolding -- is still worth checking out. The thing to bear in mind is that Depression Quest isn't a really a game. On a purely mechanical level, it has more in common with visual novels (though DQ doesn't really have any visuals to speak of) and the choose-your-own-adventure books of yore. The choices available to you fluctuate depending on the ones you've already made, and while it's not hard to figure out how to reach the "best" ending, it's still frust...

For Uber, its rise to the top hasn't always gone smoothly. From facing legal challenges across different parts of the world, to battling it out verbally with competitors, the ridesharing company has had to fight hard to make a name for itself. And now things have apparently taken a turn for the worse, at least for some of its drivers. According to PandoDaily, a number of Uber drivers in Los Angeles say they have been suffering from serious attacks, such as robberies at gunpoint, in recent months. The report, which cites three drivers who spoke on condition of anonymity, claims that people with bad intentions are using the Uber app to locate drivers on a map in order to rob them. While, in most cases, these criminals are looking to steal the Uber-provided phones carried by operators, PandoDaily was told someone was, at one point, the victim of a carjacking situation. Either way, the main concern here shouldn't be the iPhones or vehicles at stake, but rather every driver's...

Can you remember the last time you logged into PlayStation Home? Neither can anybody in Japan, apparently. According to a statement released on the Japanese website, the 3D social space will permanently close in March of next year. Sony didn't give a reason for the shuttering, but it's not too much of a surprise, the online hub -- an avatar-filled playground often compared to Second Life was never very popular, and seemingly fell short of the company's expectations. Sony's western divisions haven't announced if a similar shut-down is in store for Home's international versions. Oh, you say you do remember the last time you logged into Home? Well, take comfort in the knowledge that Sony is shutting down the service with a large-scale closing event. SOURCE

Mainboard for Macbook Pro 13" (Early 2011) remember its the one who doesnt still have USB3.0 ports. It comes in core i5 or i7 2nd-gen flavor processor. If you have one, dont hesitate to communicate with me. luigivsf@hotmail.com (you can use it to locate me via facebook, twitter, email, paypal, etc)

Yup, our first $1.95 USD from... dunno, just checked PayPal yesterday and I seen it. Anyways, whoever do it, really thanks. A small portion makes the difference. for YOU, yes... any small amount counts! PayPal: luigivsf@hotmail.com

A common sight in the sky above the world's largest solar thermal power plant is a "streamer," a small plume of smoke that occurs without warning. Closer inspection, however, reveals that the source of the smoke is a bird which has inadvertently strayed into the white-hot heat above the plant's many reflecting mirrors. Because the BrightSource Energy plant near Ivanpah uses supercritical steam rather than photovoltaic energy, the sun's heat is reflected off more than 300,000 mirrors to a single point, which is used to drive a steam turbine. The downside of that, of course, is that it's lethal for any wildlife that strays into the picture -- a problem that was recognized well before the facility opened, but now the government has gotten involved. Government wildlife inspectors believe that insects are drawn to the highly reflective mirrors, which in turn lures local birds to their doom. BrightSource feels that the issue has been overblown, claiming that on...

If you've ever groused that you don't get enough sleep, you now know that you're not alone -- far from it, in fact. The Wall Street Journal has provided a rare glimpse at the tracking data from hundreds of thousands of Jawbone Up wearers worldwide, revealing both their collective sleeping habits as well as their activity when they're awake. And... it's not looking good. Even in well-rested cities like Melbourne, the average person slept just over the minimum recommended 7 hours. In Tokyo, many people get less than 6 hours. You don't want to look to your friends for help, then, since they're probably just as groggy as you. It's also clear that us humans are creatures of habit. The vast majority of people get up early on weekdays and sleep in on weekends and holidays. They're relatively idle while they're working in the middle of the day, but extra-active when commuting or heading out on weekend adventures. Yes, the data isn't all that shoc...

Yup my friends, long time no writing for yours. Since I moved from my hometown to the main city, some things have been changed. Bad business to start my new life here, have to pay a LONG debt (about $3500 USD) and guy is not a good person. Thx God have a chance and im paying as I can, and as soon as I finish it will start to develop again as I usually do (Im developing but at SLLLOOOOWWW motion). This simple article is not about asking donations as usually do. Is just to make u know there is a new era coming up. New developers, new programming stuff, everything new (like Transformers 4). People like me have to be ready or better change what I do, and since I don't change for that, I will adapt for it, change some behaviours and thinking. All of this, is for you, you take some time to read my blog, even my stupids things or articles which I really appreciate it. Remember: New era is coming. I took some borrowed words from a movie (Iron Man 3) which basically resume my life (past...

Sorry folks, ive been working and working, and have to work to pay debts :/ anyways, will return soon to keep you updated on news from technology and more! As always, donations are ALWAYS appreciated! Paypal: luigivsf@hotmail.com Best regards!

 First, it was a bugged server... But we replace some data... That was albert telling me something, of course is not a https server, but it works Later post more pics, but at least we're enjoying the trip Don't forget if u want to made donations, use PayPal luigivsf@hotmail.com

Long time no posting, remember: i don't have a computer so I have to brought from someone else :) A picture worth a thousand words... Donations will be always appreciated... Paypal: luigivsf@hotmail.com

Wondering why you don't see drones everywhere, despite the intention of Amazon and others to deliver all the things with flying robots? Here's why: It's illegal. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) doesn't permit filming, crop-spraying, spying, tour-guiding, pizza delivery or any other commercial drone applications (you can, however, fly one privately). "But that's unjust!" you may rail. "Why should the government stop businesses from plying their trades?" The FAA is charged with keeping the skies safe, and drone operators could pose a danger to commercial aircraft or spy on you illegally. On the other hand, US businesses want the FAA to approve drone use stat, so they can stop operating quasi-illegally and start making money. So, who's right? Who's wrong? Here are the ABCs of commercial drone flight in the US. WHAT ARE THEY? First, a little terminology. The industry would prefer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), ...

In a way, director Ridley Scott's Halo-themed project, dubbed Nightfall, brings Microsoft's tentpole shooter franchise full circle. Master Chief's galaxy-spanning exploits owe a giant debt to the filmmaker's iconic tale of deep-space horror, Alien, and now Scott is helping establish where the franchise goes on the Xbox One. As 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross said during my meeting at E3 this week, working with him "kind of upped the bar" on the series, especially compared to 343's last attempt at live-action, the Halo 4 lead-in Forward Unto Dawn. "Hopefully we get better each time," she said. Nightfall tells the origin story for Agent Locke, a character Ross said plays a "pivotal role" in Halo 5: Guardians. As far as story, that's as much as we know so far. Ross isn't sure how many episodes Nightfall will span, but said that there will be five of them leading into Halo 5's beta timeframe. She cited Forward Unto Dawn as ...

The Iraqi government has essentially shut off all social networking in the country in an effort to stem the rising tide of insurgent group Isis (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). The country has found itself thrown into chaos recently as the Islamist militants have overrun the cities of Mosul, Falluja and Ramadi in a march towards Baghdad. Isis, like many of the rebellions in the region recently, has made heavy use of social media for both propaganda and organization. In particular the group has spread its hard line religious and anti-western message via YouTube. Presumably prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has had the services blocked in an effort to disrupt Isis's movement and planning, and perhaps give the government's troops an opportunity to strike back. Of course, it's no surprise that the militants have turned to social media (just as it's no surprise to see the government block it when under threat). Plenty of organizations have turned to YouTube as a mea...

Above is the view Andy Green will have when he attempts to break the world land-speed record in the British Bloodhound supersonic car. The numbers on the dials refer to a legend that can be found here. Among the many controls are a Rolex speedometer (54) and a 3D-printed steering wheel (68). Green's attempt is still some way off, with an attempt to break the current record (763mph, also held by Green) planned for August 2015. If successful, the plan is to attempt to break the 1,000 mph barrier a year later. SOURCE

Yup, im a bit back! Since I don't have computer, have to write up this from home (borrow pc) or office... Do not worry, soon will update you with INFO, a LOT of INFO of what u NEED! Be patient! Tune my youtube channel: tramuyodotcom My twitter: luigivsf If you want, send donations via PayPal: luigivsf@hotmail.com

Thats right, all operations are supported in new HBoot 2.22 (different system structure boot) - SuperCID - SIM Unlock - IMEI Repair ...and much more! This is just the beginning, and even I don't have a personal computer... yet! (old one I have to sell to pay debts, u already know the story) DO YOU FIND THIS USEFUL? DO YOU WANT IT? Show some love & respect! DONATE! Paypal address luigivsf@hotmail.com Best regards!

Will post results and pictures in a while. Don't have a computer but that shouldn't be a problem for me. Still receiving donations (to buy equipments, buy computer, pay some bills and donate to EFF) luigivsf@hotmail.com at PayPal

Follow @luigivsf

Yup, we are in trial sessions. Hope ill get a camera soon to explain what Im doing right now. Receiving donations people. Have to pay a couple of debts :/ PAYPAL: luigivsf@hotmail.com God Bless U!

Yep, no dongle just some commands and patience... any coder, box manager or something that doesn´t have it can contact me, just look on author page, OR if you want for your personal use, feel free to contact me. Don´t remember: This is only for educational purposes and repairing. I DONT CONDONE ANY ILEGAL ACTION AND AINT RESPONSIBLE FOR ILEGAL ACTION FOR MISUSE OF THIS. Models Supported: Qualcomm & Legacy ones (via some extra tools plus extra patience) Operations Supported: IMEI repairing, SIM Unlock, ROM unlock (CID)...

No worries! I've been a bit busy... also have to take off computer since I have some debts to pay, so, it will be a bit harder to write up for yours As I always said (I know its a bit obnoxious), feel free to donate at luigivsf@Hotmail.com . Send it as mass payment, gift, service, whatever you want. Will back soon!

Are you interested? Do you want it here? Write me up, or just wait a bit (testing in progress)

One of the biggest arguments against fixing climate change is that it would cost too much. Not so, says the UN's climate change panel, which has found that abandoning fossil fuels would only knock around 0.06 percent off the world's GDP. According to the report, if low-carbon energy quadruples by 2050, then the planet may only warm by two degrees -- the upper limit before The Day After Tomorrow-style catastrophes are commonplace. The panel recommends switching to renewables like solar, wind and hydropower, with nuclear the next best option and biofuels in third, since the latter uses the same land and resources needed for growing crops. Maybe it's time that we all started cycling to work. SOURCE

Ready for more new features on your Xbox One? Major Nelson just announced that the April software update Microsoft has been beta testing will start rolling out to all systems tonight. The big new feature is the return of notifications for when people on your favorites or friends lists come online, like it did on the Xbox 360. Other fixes are supposed to make Kinect's voice and gesture recognition better, and there are new UI tweaks to make sure you know the status of game saves as well as updates for your games and apps. GameDVR clips should be better looking, 50Hz Blu-ray discs will play at their native rate and yes, there is another update for controllers that addresses audio quality with third-party headsets using the adaptor. Finally, for any updates after this one the Xbox One will be able to reboot to standby silently instead of just turning off, and you'll be able to check manually for updates. That doesn't apply for this update though, so Xbox One owners can wa...

One stretch of road in the Netherlands may make you feel like you're cruising through a video game. A new glow-in-the-dark pavement has replaced power-sucking streetlights for a 500m (.3mi) piece of the highway. The result is a Tron-like street that shines courtesy of solar-powered photo-luminescent powder incorporated into the road paint. This is just a proof of concept, but its creator, Studio Roosegaarde, hopes to use parks as a testing ground for new versions of the product. Down the road, new iterations might even include informational markers -- like functional street art. For instance, in freezing temperatures the entire surface might light up with giant flakes to alert drivers (until they get buried by snow). There are also plans to incorporate wind-powered lights that shine only when cars are nearby, and ultimately a special lane where electric cars could charge up while they drive. As you might imagine, the road will have to pass several government safety and durabil...

It turns out that the emoticon might be a bit older than we originally thought. Literary critic Levi Stahl has found what could possibly be the first instance of a ":)" in Robert Herrick's 1648 poem "To Fortune." Stahl checked to see if it was just a typo in the edition of Hesperides that he owns, and says that he found the smiley intact in the authoritative two-volume edition of Herrick's work published last year by the Oxford University Press. Stahl explains that the poet's work was rife with humor, so this likely isn't a "punctuational oddity." If true, it'd beat the previous record-holder's age -- a transcription of an 1862 speech by Abe Lincoln -- by some 200 years. That isn't quite the final word, however. The New Atlantis (a scholarly journal about tech and society) writes that this probably isn't the case, and the only real way to tell if the emoticon was Herrick's intent would be to look up very early editions...

Studying evolution is tricky -- it's a process that happens over countless generations and thousands of years, but the men tasked with studying it live less than a century. Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have found one way around the problem: robots. OIST's Dr. Stefan Elfwing has been using small, rodent-like robots to study the long-term effects of disparate mating strategies, observing the evolution of the simulated species for over 1,000 generations. Two groups of robo-mice were programmed to forage for food (battery-powered recharge stations) and to find a mate (trade data through an embedded IR port), with each group following a different mating strategy. Robots dubbed "foragers" would focus on recharging, only mating if it didn't get in the way of feeding, while "trackers" would actively seek mates and go without charging if it increased their chances of linking up IR ports. The experiment eventually yielded a p...

If you thought that the NSA wanted too much personal information, just wait a few months. The EFF is reporting that the FBI's new facial recognition database, containing data for almost a third of the US population, will be ready to launch this summer. Codenamed NGI, the system combines the bureau's 100 million-strong fingerprint database with palm prints, iris scans and mugshots. Naturally, this has alarmed privacy advocates, since it's not just felons whose images are added, but anyone who has supplied a photo ID for a government job or background check. According to the EFF's documents, the system will be capable of adding 55,000 images per day, and could have the facial data for anything up to 52 million people by next year. Let's just hope that no-one tells the Feds about Facebook, or we're all in serious trouble. SOURCE

Android, iOS, Windows Phone. Each of these mobile platforms had to start somewhere, and none were anywhere near perfect on the first try. Fortunately, each OS gets better with every iteration until, at some point, it all just clicks. Arguably, Windows Phone just came of age with its latest update, version 8.1. Even before today, Windows Phone only had a few big holes remaining and indeed, 8.1 appears to fill those gaps. In particular, the OS now has a fancy notification center in addition to those signature Live Tiles; the keyboard now allows for swipe gestures; and last but not least, it now has Cortana, a virtual assistant to take on Siri, Google Now and Samsung's S Voice. The 8.1 update is a fairly significant one, and I got the opportunity to take it for a spin ahead of the official developer preview's launch. It may not be perfect yet, but it's clear Windows Phone has finally grown up. KEEP READING / source

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan isn't happy that free speech rights thwarted his desires to block Twitter and silence corruption allegations, so he's switching to plan B: accuse Twitter of shady dealings. He's now promising to "go after" the social network for tax evasion, and has implied that other internet-based peers like Facebook and YouTube might be breaking local laws. We've reached out to Twitter for its response, but we wouldn't expect the company to take Erdogan's charge lightly. For now, it's difficult to tell whether or not the claims will amount to more than just talk. There isn't an official case against Twitter at this stage. Also, Erdogan's views don't always mesh with those of Turkey's judges -- he believes the Constitutional Court is conducting "interference in politics" by upholding freedom of expression. When the politician has had success in banning YouTube, though, we wouldn't be q...

BlackBerry CEO John Chen has long made it obvious that he wants to turn a profit by 2016, but it's now clear that nothing will stand in the way of that goal -- not even his company's smartphones. While devices are still part of the plan, Chen tells Bloomberg and Reuters that he wants to avoid depending on them for revenue, and may "not be in the handset business" if the hardware doesn't make cash. The exec is more eager to generate income from software, including enterprise offerings and an expansion of QNX's platform beyond cars and industrial gear. Chen doesn't think it will necessarily come down to axing BlackBerry's best-known products, though. He believes that crew in Waterloo can still make money on phones as long as it ships at least 10 million units per year, which is feasible if current sales figures hold steady. There's a glimmer of hope if you're a fan of BlackBerry's classic smartphone designs, then -- just don't get to...

NASA knows that conventional battery power won't cut it at a certain point, especially when the agency's vehicles travel into deep space. To that end, it's asking both public institutions and companies to submit proposals for battery alternatives. The initiative will tackle both low-level energy cell design, such as chemistry and packaging, as well as advanced devices that could outperform existing lithium cells. Ideally, NASA will get energy storage that provides more power without taking a hit to either longevity or safety. SOURCE

Before the Rio Carbon arrived to take on Apple's iPod juggernaut in 2004, there was Diamond Multimedia's first stab at the digital music market: the Rio PMP300, a portable music player released in 1998. Since it was one of the first portable MP3 players ever to be sold, Diamond ended up embroiled in a fight for the future of the format. The PMP300's ability to play digital music files downloaded from a computer led to a groundbreaking legal battle with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The RIAA challenged the company in court, claiming that its use of digital music files was copyright infringement, but Diamond won out and cleared the way for a new wave of portable music players (PMPs) to hit the market. In the years that followed, Diamond Multimedia released over a dozen portable players. But it was 2004's sleek Rio Carbon that caught consumers' attention, a device praised by many reviewers for its superior audio quality. The timing of its c...

Yup my friends, basically blog's idea was introduce you in technology world and make it less complex or hard for us. Lately I don't made own reviews, I took some time to check nice stories for your informative pleasure (visits tells me that i'm doing good) But... what will occur if one day I end all? Gift domain? Sell blog? Meh, so many times I asked it but... that's why I write this, from my own hand and keyboard, 'cause this is what I love: technology, programming, taking all to a new whole level, exponentiate my capacities. That's all about, basically blog's soul: technology. Right now i'm at another city, 1 month ago. Things have been normal, sort of. Thanks to The Lord nothing have been missing from me, but unfortunately I'm not doing money (a couple of coins from AdSense program, but isn't quite enough), but we're doing best what we can, and really this is the only thing that really matter. The Lord will give me all I need, and late...

Si amigos, basicamente la idea del blog fue introducir a todos en el mundo de la tecnologia y hacer que esta no fuera tan "compleja" o "complicada" para todos. Ultimamente no hago reviews propios, ya que me tomo la molestia de elegir buenas noticias (que considero) para su placer informativo (bueno, las visitas me dicen que lo estoy haciendo bien) Pero, y si algun dia llegase a terminar todo? Regalar el dominio? Vender el blog? Nah, muchas veces me lo he preguntado pero... por algo senti el deseo de escribirles, desde mi misma mano y tecla, porque esto es lo que me apasiona: la tecnologia, la programacion, el llevar todo niveles superiores, exponenciar mi capacidad de analisis. De esto se trata todo, esto es basicamente el alma del blog: tecnologia. Actualmente me encuentro en otra ciudad, desde hace ya 1 mes. Las cosas han estado normales, pues dentro de lo que alguien podria definir de "normal". Gracias a Dios no me hace falta lo basico, desafortunad...

If you're an IT professional, gadget blogger or token geek in your circle of friends, chances are, you've been hounded relentlessly over the past couple of days about "this Heartbleed thing." "Do I need to update my antivirus?" "Can I login to my bank account now?" "Google already fixed it, right?" We've heard them all, but the answers aren't all that clear or simple. In an attempt to take the pressure off -- it is the weekend after all -- we've put together a primer that should answer all of those questions and a few more. Next time someone asks you about that "Heartbleed thing," just shoot them our direction. KEEP READING / Source

When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 and a trio of Gear smartwatches, the company made a big to-do about how it listens to its customers. We know, we know: Every company's supposed to be doing that. But remember, this is Samsung we're talking about. It dominates the Android market by such a wide margin that it makes rivals like LG and HTC look like quaint startups. Put it another way: Samsung could release a phone with no improvements, and it'd still sell millions. At least, that's how it used to be. The smartphone market has seen a downturn of late and even mighty Samsung has been affected. Sales are down, and the manufacturer must now make phones that give people what they actually want (shocker, we know). So what can we expect from a humbled Samsung? A durable phone that brings a toned-down TouchWiz UI, a better camera, longer battery life, improved performance, a fingerprint scanner and enhanced health tracking. I received an unlocked review unit from GSM Nation...

It appears that Nokia isn't coming to Microsoft's developer conference empty-handed. Though the acquisition is still pending, Nokia went ahead and brought in some new hardware anyway. This time, the phone maker has announced the Lumia 930, which is essentially the international version of the Lumia Icon. Which is to say, it features a 5-inch full HD display and a 20-megapixel PureView camera with a Zeiss lens. The camera is clearly the star of the show here: not only does it have optical image stabilization, but the phone also ships with a Creative Studio app that'll let you add Instagram-style filters to your snapshots. There's also a new feature called "Living Images" that can be weaved into Nokia's Storyteller application. Photos and videos are automatically sorted by time and location, and if you want to be all fancy, you can add music to the background when viewing the images. Other features include four high-performance digital microphones, dire...

The whole point of Windows 8 was to make Microsoft's aging OS easier to use on touchscreen devices. Mission accomplished, we'd say (more or less). But now the folks in Redmond have a new challenge afoot: Make Windows 8 equally easy to use on tablets and traditional PCs. The company's already made some progress -- last year's Windows 8.1 update was all about keyboard shortcuts, better multitasking and the return of the Start button (sort of). Now, with its latest update, Microsoft is going after mouse-and-keyboard users. In particular, you can pin Windows Store apps to the desktop Taskbar, and close out of a Metro app by pressing an "X" in the upper-right corner. Heck, you can even shut down without having to open the Charms Bar. Shocking, we know. It's all very exciting, and indeed, you can see for yourselves soon enough; the update will arrive as a Windows Update download on April 8th, which means most folks will simply install it automatically. In t...

At IDF Shenzhen today, Intel briefly announced the 14nm successor to its budget 22nm Bay Trail processors. Dubbed Braswell, this new SoC architecture is mainly aimed at the likes of affordable Chrome OS and Android devices. It will also complement the higher-end Broadwell announced last September (and pictured after the break), though there's no word on availability for these two 14nm, 64-bit lines -- last we heard was that Broadwell's production had been delayed, with shipment still on track for the second half of this year. Fanless Core i7 systems just can't come any sooner. SOURCE

It turns out that those rumors of Microsoft cutting Windows prices to spur adoption were true -- and then some. The company has announced that Windows will be free for hardware makers to use on phones, tablets with screens under nine inches and Internet of Things devices. Suffice it to say that this is a huge move for a tech giant whose operating system licensing is arguably its bread and butter. Microsoft is obviously willing to take a financial hit to compete against Android, Chrome OS and other freely available platforms. SOURCE

As a part of its Build 2014 announcements, Microsoft showed off an interesting twist on its classic Start Menu. Coming to Windows 8.1 in a future update, it has the look of the Start Menu Windows users have experienced for years, but adds the Live Tiles Microsoft has been pushing as a part of Windows 8 and Windows Phone. Terry Myerson made the announcement as part of an example of how universal Windows apps will be able to run in a window (and on Xbox), although users craving something familiar will probably just be happy to see their old Start Menu again. We didn't hear any more details on exactly when to expect the update, but you can follow along with our liveblog for all of the information as it happens. SOURCE

In commercial terms, BlackBerry's much-hyped BB10 phones barely made a dent. The manufacturer's financial health has actually been propped up this whole time by sales of its older classics, Bolds and Curves running on BB7. It's pretty incredible how long those models have lasted, but BlackBerry's latest earnings report reminds us that nothing lasts forever: BB7 sales have fallen 50 percent year-over-year to 2.3 million units, which is double BlackBerry 10 sales, but not nearly enough to help the company stay in the black. Of course, the collapse of legacy hardware isn't news to the CEO, John Chen, who has promised to support BB7 devices "for as long as there's demand," but who has also set about rebuilding BlackBerry as fast as he possibly can. Fortunately, the earnings report also gives us a glimmer of hope for Chen's efforts: 54 percent of revenue is now coming from selling services rather than phones, and Chen also claims that BlackBerry ha...

If you've wanted to know what Nokia's entry-level Lumia 630 looks like in real life, today is your lucky day. Both a Coolxap video (below) and a handful of photos from @Umit have shown off the smartphone in all its Windows Phone 8.1-based glory, including the on-screen navigation, Action Center and the updated camera interface. Previous rumors have suggested that the 630 will be relatively powerful for a low-end device with a 4.5-inch (albeit 800 x 480) display, a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM. Don't get too attached to the way the phone looks in these images, though. The 630 in the still pictures is likely using a protective case or prototype shell, and we wouldn't count on the video reflecting the final design, either. With that said, the new media may represent our best clue yet as to what Nokia might reveal at its event next week. SOURCE

Tesla's Model S may have a good safety record, but even two accident-related battery fires are too many for the perfection-obsessed (and image-conscious) automaker. Elon Musk has revealed that every Model S built from March 6th onward has both aluminum deflector plates and a titanium underbody shield, the combination of which should prevent battery punctures and deflect debris. Any existing owner can get the shields as a free upgrade, and Musk promises that all the extra metal won't hurt performance in a meaningful way -- you'll lose 0.1 percent of range, he says. While the upgrade is unlikely to completely silence EV doubters, it might reassure Model S buyers who'd rather not lose their cars to detritus on the road. SOURCE