Friday, April 13, 2012

Sony Slaps Android on the Wrist

Sony Slaps Android on the Wrist

Sony Slaps Android on the Wrist

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 12:04 PM PDT

Sony on Thursday announced its SmartWatch Android smartphone accessory. The device, worn on the user's wrist, links to the user's smartphone through Bluetooth. It acts as an intermediary to let users perform simple functions on their smartphones. The SmartWatch works with most smartphones running Android version 2.1 or higher, Sony said. It's offered at $150. The device can also be used with Sony tablets, Stephen Sneeden of Sony Mobile Communications told TechNewsWorld, but "our initial focus is on compatibility with Android phones."

Researchers Leap Into Quantum Networking

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:58 AM PDT

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have set up a quantum network consisting of two coupled single atoms. These atoms communicate quantum information through the coherent exchange of single photons. Decoherence, which can be thought of as the loss of information from a system into the environment, is one of the obstacles to building a working quantum computer because such computers require that coherent states are preserved. So enabling coherent exchange of information is an important step in quantum computing.

Run Your Software From a USB Stick for Security and Speed

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Historically, freelancers have carried their software tools as compact discs, or as copies of the discs on a portable hard drive. Both have needed to be installed on the library, or client's computer. This has been time-consuming additional work. Security has also been an issue, with temporary document files and software footprints being left behind after an install -- a thorough cleanup being even more onerous at the end of the job. Along came cloud-driven apps, with some speed and security benefits over a hard-drive install, although hidden files can still be left behind -- think browser cache for one.

2 Countries, 2 Companies, 1 Big Headache

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:49 AM PDT

This one is a little muddy: A judge in Seattle has ruled that Motorola Mobility Holdings can't seek to ban Microsoft's Xbox or Windows products in Germany. BusinessWeek unpacks some of the details: "Motorola Mobility, which owns patents related to industry standards for video compression and WiFi, petitioned a German court to ban Microsoft products that comply with those standards. Microsoft asked U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle to bar Motorola Mobility taking any further steps in the German case until after a trial can be held on the contract dispute between the two companies."

Who Cares About Software Freedom?

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Well it's been a disconcerting kind of week here in the Linux blogosphere, not least because of all the darn construction going on down at the Google+ Grill. First it was the hammering giving Linux Girl a headache. Then, on Wednesday, she walked in after lunch and could barely recognize the place. What is this interface sorcery, she wants to know? Then, of course, there was the retirement of Linux Girl's old friend, Maverick Meerkat, in the past few days as well. Alas, dear distro -- we hardly knew ye!

Why iPhone Users Hate Mobile WiFi Slightly Less Than Android Users Do

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 05:00 AM PDT

A cool study caught my attention recently. It says that iPhones have significantly higher rates of WiFi utilization than Android phones in the U.S. and the UK. I immediately found that point weird, because after all, most Android smartphones also come with contracts that require users to pay for a data plan. These plans are usually fairly comparable to the iPhone data plans, which means they aren't cheap. And yet, comScore found that 71 percent of all unique iPhones used both mobile and WiFi networks to connect to the Internet.
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