PSA: The end of MobileMe is nigh, time to move on or move out

By James Trew posted Jun 29th 2012 12:17PM

The death knell for MobileMe has been ringing for some time, but if you've had your hands on your ears, hoping it'd go away, sadly this isn't the case. Tomorrow sees the service hang up its storage-boots for the last time, before being brutally put down released to pasture. If the 20GB olive branch Apple offered wasn't enough to turn you onto iCloud, then this is your last call to pack up your virtual things, and make sure the door doesn't hit you on the way out. And while breaking up is never easy to do, there are plenty more fish in the sea.

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LG Optimus L7 review: a beautiful, entry-level Android 4.0 smartphone with LG's new UI 3.0

Consider your last trip to the car dealership. Let's say you saved up and hit up BMW. While you might've looked at -- or even test driven -- the M3, there's a good chance that your better judgment (and your budget) led you to drive off of the lot with a 328i. Sure, it's only got a four-cylinder engine inside, but the car offers great handling and good gas mileage. Better yet, you didn't have to spend an atrocious amount of money to get behind the wheel. The same goes with mobile phones. While it's fun to dream of owning a One X, a Galaxy S III or an Optimus 4X HD, they're called superphones for a reason: they cater to power-hungry individuals with a fair amount of disposable income. Like supercars, they're designed to bring people into the store, even if shoppers ultimately leave with something else in hand.

Enter the LG Optimus L7. Positioned at the higher end of the company's entry-level lineup, it aims to be the 328i of smartphones. Sure, no one's lining up to drool over it, but LG is aiming for this to be a practical choice with just enough elegance and pizzaz to keep consumers grinning. Of course, that sweet spot is difficult to achieve, and we've seen plenty of smartphone manufacturers miss the mark in attempting to balance performance and amenities with a palatable price. So, does the Optimus L7 rise to the challenge? We've spent the past week with it as our daily driver, and we're ready to make the call. Read on for the answer.

The LG Optimus L7 is undeniably handsome. It's the leader of the pack in the company's L-Style series, which places an emphasis on a modern, sophisticated appearance, and it certainly looks the part. In fact, much of the design philosophy can be traced back to the more expensive LG Prada 3.0: both have boxy faces with large black borders and subtle chrome-like trim. It's a similar story around back, where you'll find a textured plastic cover that's tapered to create a greater illusion of thinness (the handset actually measures 8.7mm thick). These beveled edges also help the Optimus L7 feel quite comfortable in hand.

Naturally, there are differences. While the Prada 3.0 features only capacitive buttons up front, the Optimus L7 sports a physical home button that calls to mind the global Galaxy S II. On the rear, the horizontal camera pod struts a faux-brushed metal finish that nicely compliments the pinstripe enclosure. The design is both boring and beautiful. In a word, it's elegant.

If the phone were rocking more powerful internals, it'd be known in the car world as a sleeper -- something you don't see coming, but that punishes you just the same. With only a single-core 1GHz CPU, however, you'll need to ground your expectations from the get-go. It performs respectably for its class, but as with the BMW M3, once you've had your hair blown back by a quad-core processor, you'll be forever screwed to draw the comparison. Much of the spec sheet tells a similar story, which includes an Adreno 200 GPU, a 5-megapixel camera and HSPA network speeds that top out at 7.2Mbps. As the benchmarks will later reveal, this is fine for casual usage, but the antiquated architecture will leave many wanting a little more horsepower.

The Optimus L7 may not be the fastest phone in the world, but it sure does look pretty, and the same can be said of the display. Granted, it would be foolish to draw comparisons to some of the more premium options out there, but for a budget phone, LG nailed it with its 4.3-inch NOVA display at 800 x 480 resolution. Curiously, this isn't based on IPS technology like the company's other NOVA offerings; instead, it's based on the much more common TFT-LCD. Still, viewing angles are better than average, text is rather crisp, colors are vibrant, and when the brightness is maxed out, the phone is completely usable in direct sunlight.

We did identify one glaring omission with respect to the display, however, and that's the lack of an ambient light sensor -- a feature so pervasive that it's often taken for granted in smartphones. As such, an auto-brightness setting is nonexistent and users will need to manually adjust the levels to suit their surroundings. LG has included a bit of a workaround for this -- which we'll discuss later in the software section -- but the correct decision would've been to include the ambient light sensor. Needless to say, we're hugely disappointed that LG deliberately excluded the feature.

Take a quick tour of the phone's exterior and you'll find all of the usual amenities in their routine placements: the volume rocker is on the left, there's a micro-USB port on the bottom, both the power button and 3.5mm headphone jack are up top, and a speakerphone is on the rear. Try as you might, though, one thing you won't find is an access tab for removal of the back cover. That's not to say it's difficult to remove, but you'll need a decent set of fingernails to pry it free. Once inside, you'll be treated to some funky industrial stylings, along with access to the standard size SIM, an empty microSD slot and a removable 1,700mAh battery. You'll also find a pair of NFC connectors, as the antenna makes up part of the back cover.

As it stands, the Optimus L7 comes in two flavors: one suitable for use in the United States and Canada, and another for Europe. Both models support quadband GSM / EDGE, but the HSPA radios are unique to each continent. For this reason, an unlocked L7 would be usable -- but not terribly enjoyable -- for global travelers. Other hardware-enabled features of the Optimus L7 include an FM radio, NFC with Android Beam, along with WiFi hotspot and WiFi Direct. The GPS hardware was able to find satellites rather quickly, and the compass performed very well once calibrated.

Approximately £249 / €269 / $3004.9 x 2.6 x 0.34 inches (125.5 x 67 x 8.7mm)TFT-LCD NOVA display (450 nit)Quadband GSM / EDGE; HSPA 900 / 2100 (Europe); HSPA 850/1900 (North America)Qualcomm MSM7227A (Snapdragon S1)1GHz single-core ARM Cortex A5MP3, AMR, AAC, AAC+, WAV, AC3, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, DivX, Xvid

As we've alluded to, the Optimus L7 is a bit of a slowpoke in the performance arena. This is largely due to the Qualcomm MSM7227A chipset, which is based on the Snapdragon S1 platform. For comparison, this is the same chip that's within phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus and HTC Desire V.

The benchmarks reveal a similar story. While the L7 fared well in Quadrant, with an overall score on par with the dual-core Optimus 2X, this is largely in part due to its excellent performance in the I/O category. Other areas, such as CPU, memory and graphics reveal a phone that's more closely in line with the Nexus S -- which leads us to an interesting point. In real-world, day-to-day usage, the Nexus S with Android 4.0 feels more responsive than the Optimus L7. Granted, these phones are based on different architectures, but we couldn't shake the feeling that the Optimus L7's performance was in part hindered by LG's software. And if we're being honest, the company doesn't have a great track record when it comes to optimizing its Android skins for specific hardware architectures.

LG Optimus L7Samsung Nexus SSony Xperia UGLBenchmark Egypt Offscreen (fps)SunSpider: lower scores are better.

All things equal, Android 4.0 is a resource-intensive operating system that really demands beefier specs. It's sad to say, but anyone who insists on decent performance in Ice Cream Sandwich should look to a dual-core phone. We must emphasize that while overall performance isn't bad -- navigating through the launcher and working within basic apps like Gmail feel relatively snappy, for example -- you'll also need to deal with stuttering animations on the home screen, inconsistent touch response, a subpar browser experience and video capture that tops out at VGA. As a basic phone, the Optimus L7 fits the bill. For those wanting more, you'll need to pay for the privilege.

Call quality on the Optimus L7 is middling at best. While other people's voices were free of distortion, even calls to landlines sounded muted and muddy. Similarly, our callers commented that while our words were clear, our voices sounded flat. Even with a strong signal, calls would intermittently cut out. It's difficult to determine whether the phone or the carrier is to blame for these hiccups, however, so we'll reserve judgment on that one. Our experience with the speaker phone was similar: callers tended to sound tinny. Unsurprisingly, people told us the call quality over the speaker was distant, and some had to strain at times to make sense of our words.

With a 1,700mAh Li-Ion cell and just a single-core processor, it's no great surprise that battery life is one of the better aspects of the Optimus L7. In our standard rundown test, the phone lasted six hours and 40 minutes, which is solid, but unspectacular. Our real-world tests yielded much better results, and those with modest usage habits should have no trouble getting 36 hours or more off a single charge. Battery life can be extended even further with LG's power saver software, a feature which kicks in at a user-set threshold to more conservatively manage brightness, radios and data settings. For our part, we never felt compelled to enable the feature, and were still able to get an impressive 54 hours from a single charge with medium usage.

Along with Ice Cream Sandwich, LG threw an interesting twist into the Optimus L7 known as UI 3.0. With the new software, the company set out to introduce new functionality in an unobtrusive manner, and to that extent, it's succeeded. Granted, UI 3.0 is still a departure from stock Ice Cream Sandwich, but the look is now much cleaner than LG's prior efforts. Immediately apparent is the new lock screen, which allows users to swipe in any direction to unlock the device. Similarly, the lock screen brings quick access to four customizable apps, along with three different clocks for the choosing.

On the home screen, Google's omnipresent search bar can be found up top, which has been customized with an "add" button that gives users another way to populate their five home screens with apps, widgets and different wallpapers. While the dock includes only four icons by default, you'll be able to drag in a fifth application and create folders, which nicely replicates the functionality of Ice Cream Sandwich. Many other changes are less visible, accessible only through the settings menu. Here, users can choose between different transition effects and enable an infinite carousel of the home screens. In fact, the only additional feature that we'd like to see is the ability to increase or decrease the amount of home screens.

Remember how we complained about the lack of an ambient light sensor? Well, there's a partial solution. One feature that LG's added as a legitimate improvement over Ice Cream Sandwich is the quick settings menu in the notification tray. It's customizable, but by default, users may control sound, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Although it must be manually enabled, a handy toggle also exists to switch between low, medium and full brightness -- nothing short of a life saver. We're also happy to see that quick access to the settings menu remains in the notification tray.

The launcher itself is more or less on par with Ice Cream Sandwich, which requires users to scroll horizontally between apps and widgets. LG has also added a downloads section, which is fine if you need quick access to an app that you've just installed. This will cause confusion to some users, though, as downloaded files won't appear here, and instead must be accessed through the downloads app. Within the launcher, infinite scrolling is enabled by default, and we genuinely appreciate that a user won't be immediately kicked over into the widgets section when they reach the end of the apps list. Another interesting addition -- and somewhat of a nod to CyanogenMod -- is the ability to more tightly pack the launcher screen with a 5 x 6 grid of icons.

You'll also discover a gear icon in the launcher, but instead of providing access to the settings menu, it opens an environment that allows users to rearrange their icons, create folders and even delete unwanted apps. The only quirk about the launcher is its inability to automatically sort apps. So, if you're the type who prefers your launcher in alphabetical order, you'll inevitably be doing a bit of rearranging each time you install a new application.

As for the software itself, we received an unbranded version of the Optimus L7 directly from LG, so naturally your experience may vary if you purchase the phone through a carrier. While many of the apps can't be uninstalled, they can be disabled, which will cause them to not appear in the launcher, although they'll continue to occupy storage space on your phone. This includes Application Manager, a utility to add live wallpapers and a task manager, or uninstall some bundled apps; Cell Broadcast, which allows you to send and receive mass alert messages to other cell broadcast-enabled phones; LG Tag +, which lets you configure and write location-based settings to NFC tags; RemoteCall Service, an app that grants tech support reps full control over your phone; and SmartShare for WiFi Direct connections. Other apps that can be disabled -- but not uninstalled -- include two apps from Yahoo! called Finance and News, along with a voice recorder utility. As for pre-loaded software that can be uninstalled, you'll find Memo for notes, Polaris Office, Weather from Yahoo! and SmartWorld, which is LG's own marketplace for apps, ringtones and wallpapers.

Put simply, the camera on the Optimus L7 seriously underwhelms. While a 5-megapixel sensor seems at home in an entry-level smartphone, even the most passive photographers are going to experience a letdown with this phone. The camera delivers lifeless, unnatural colors, and in distant shots, it's unable to capture anything beyond the most basic of details. Closeup snapshots fared a bit better in this respect, which is assisted by the touch-to-focus software, but you can forget about artistic effects such as bokeh. The camera's low-light performance is abysmal, and even reasonably well-lit indoor scenes brought about an unusable amount of blur and noise. Naturally, the built-in flash was able to compensate in close-up scenes, but it's altogether useless for subjects more than a few feet away. The front-facing VGA camera is thoroughly miserable, delivering dark, muted and inaccurate colors, along with perceivable jagged edges.

Two software features that seem nice on the surface enable users to capture both panorama scenes and a quick burst of six successive shots. In the case of the former, while the software is both easy and reasonably accurate, the results are less-than-VGA quality. Likewise, users are similarly limited to VGA resolution in quick burst mode.

Video capture on the Optimus L7 doesn't fare much better. While colors are surprisingly more accurate within video mode, the clips have a jelly-like quality and are likewise limited to VGA resolution. Those capturing video indoors would be wise to use the persistent LED light as an auto-focus assist, as the camera will otherwise struggle mightily with the scene.

As much as we wanted to like the Optimus L7, we must strongly urge those who want an entry-level smartphone to look elsewhere. It's quite a shame, really, because LG's design efforts hinted at something so much greater. We genuinely appreciate the phone's display, handy NFC capabilities, excellent battery life and even its software, which features LG's UI 3.0 layered on top of Android 4.0.

Unfortunately, that's where the party ends. The Optimus L7 is a sluggish performer that is further hindered by unnecessary animations and transition effects in the UI. While that alone wouldn't qualify as a deal-breaker in the budget category, its slow data transmission speeds, incompatible trans-Atlantic 3G bands, woeful camera, lack of an ambient light sensor, subpar voice quality and flaky touch response all point to a regrettable purchase. As it stands, if your budget dictates your next smartphone, look instead toward the HTC One V, Sony Xperia U and Samsung Galaxy S Advance for more compelling options. Similarly, if you're able to avoid the contract subsidies and go SIM-free, the Galaxy Nexus is now more affordable than ever.

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ASUS' Cedar Trail-loaded EeeBox EB1030 nettop keeps your desk clean, thumbs green

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Delta expanding Gogo in-flight WiFi to select international flights beginning in 2013

Delta Expands World's Largest Wi-Fi-Equipped Fleet to Include International Aircraft

Partnership with single provider will offer global connectivity with Gogo Inflight Internet service

Customer feedback highlights importance of fleet-wide connectivity on two-class regional jets, mainline domestic aircraft and international flights

ATLANTA, June 28, 2012 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will begin offering in-flight Internet service on its long-haul international fleet of more than 150 aircraft, which includes Boeing 777, 767, 747, Airbus 330 and transoceanic Boeing 757 aircraft in early 2013.

The expanded Wi-Fi service will use satellites to provide coverage internationally and will complement the existing air-to-ground service already provided by Gogo for aircraft flying within the domestic U.S.

Delta already operates the world's largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet of aircraft with more than 3,000 flights daily, including its entire fleet of 550 domestic mainline aircraft. More than 800 Delta aircraft, including all Delta Connection two-class regional jets, are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi service offering more than 400,000 customers per day access to the internet above 10,000 feet.

The international service will use high-bandwidth Ku-band capacity satellites to provide global coverage..When complete in 2015, Delta will operate approximately 1,000 Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft in its worldwide fleet.

"Delta's advancements in technology have been a key component to our improvements in the customer travel experience and have been cited by J.D. Power and Associates and PC World magazine as important aspects of travel," said Tim Mapes, Delta's senior vice president – Marketing. "With our expansion of international Wi-Fi options across our fleet, Delta customers will be able to stay connected throughout their journey."

The expansion of in-flight Wi-Fi to Delta's transoceanic fleet is the latest in the airline's more than $3 billion investment in enhanced global products, services and airport facilities through 2013. In addition to Wi-Fi improvements, Delta has added more First Class seats and in-flight entertainment to its domestic product; offering full flat-bed BusinessElite seats on its entire international widebody fleet; recently completed the system-wide roll-out of Economy Comfort on all two-class aircraft; adding personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all long-haul international flights; updating Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system; and upgrading new terminal facilities for international customers at its two largest global gateways – the new international terminal in Atlanta now open and the expanded international terminal opening next May at New York-JFK.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 350 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

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Microsoft lists 180 countries in Windows Phone 8 Marketplace, says apps can filter by screen size

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New system lets you type with your brain using MRIs

By Terrence O'Brien posted Jun 29th 2012 1:46PM

This isn't mind reading, per say. Instead Bettina Sorger, Joel Reithler, Brigitte Dahmen and Rainer Goebel at Universiteit Maastricht have figured out a way to monitor the flow of blood in the brain and associate the images captured using an MRI with the letters of the alphabet. The whole system takes about an hour to learn and configure for each individual. Trials focused on healthy individuals, but clearly its the paralyzed and people suffering from diseases like ALS that have the most to gain. Sorger hopes to enable "locked-in" patients to finally be able to communicate with the outside world by thinking out letter at a time. Obviously, patients aren't going to be able to install an MRI in their homes, much less lug one around with them. The data collected could be used to finely tailor less accurate but more portable systems for patients that monitor electrical or light signals. If you're interested in the real nitty-gritty you can check out the complete research paper at the source link.

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Recon goggles gain Facebook integration and augmented reality at Google I/O (hands-on video)

By Myriam Joire posted Jun 29th 2012 4:56PM

Remember that Android SDK Recon Instruments finally unveiled for its heads-up display goggles? Well the company was showing off the fruits of its labor here at Google I/O 2012 with two demos -- specifically two-way Facebook integration and augmented reality using a Contour camera. In the first demo, the goggles are paired over Bluetooth with an app running on an Android phone. Each time you jump while snowboarding or skying, the accelerometer data from the goggles is sent to the handset which posts a graphic to Facebook showing the distance, height and duration of your flight. Any comments made to the post are then immediately relayed back to the heads-up display. The second demo uses a Contour camera attached to the goggles and paired via Bluetooth. As you look around, the output from the camera appears on the heads-up display augmented with labels showing the location and distance of the nearby train stations based on the compass and GPS data from the goggles. Pretty cool, eh? Check out the gallery below and hit the break for our two hands-on videos.

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Maingear Pulse 11 review: a small and surprisingly powerful gaming laptop

Gaming laptops are strange beasts. While they may have been lugged all the way to the LAN party, they aren't too much fun to use on a plane. That was, until the advent of Alienware's 11-inch M11x, which kept the fast internals at the expense of weight and battery life. When it was unceremoniously yanked by parent company Dell, it left a gap in the market for people who really did need a gaming laptop on the go.

Fortunately, Clevo stepped in with its W110ER, an 11-inch laptop that companies like Maingear and others have tweaked to sell as their own. Packing an Ivy Bridge CPU, NVIDIA's Kepler-based GeForce GT 650M and the same 1366 x 768 display as the M11x, it's obviously trying to step into Alienware's shoes. So, is this the new standard-bearer for small-yet-powerful gaming laptops? Does it really blow us away with its power? Will you want to part with a minimum of $999 to get hold of one? Read on to find out.

The first thing you'll notice when you open the box is Maingear's attention to its customers. Gaming machines comprise something of a niche category, but that hasn't stopped the company from adding a few extra touches to ensure its customers feel valued. You're greeted with a solid plastic box that holds your documents, a branded mousepad, toolkit, T-Shirt and a hand-written quality-assurance sign-off sheet from the person who tested and set up your gear. By the time you've waded through all of the accoutrement, the laptop itself almost feels like a pleasant extra.

Pull it out of its protective sleeve and you'll instantly worry that someone's made a mistake and sent you a netbook in place of the monster you were expecting. At first blush, it's shockingly small: 11.2 inches wide, 8.3 inches deep and 1.46 inches at its widest point. While it's thick, it's hardly unwieldy, nor is it weighty -- it adds just 3.77 pounds (1.71kg) to your carrying load. You'll also notice that absent from the unit is an optical drive -- not surprising, given the size.

The plastic upper shell has been textured, making it look a little heftier and studier than comparable units. It's a smart use of materials to make the body seem a little more expensive and tactile given that it's just black plastic. It won't win any awards from design aesthetes either: function was prioritized over form with its retro stylings -- but the real achievement here has been to cram that much power into this tiny box.

Down the left-hand side, we've got Ethernet, VGA, HDMI 1.4a ports, 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks and a pair of USB 3.0 slots as well as a 2.8-inch vent where all the heat that it generated is pumped out. Beneath the keyboard up front is the SD/MMC/MS slot and down the right is a powered USB 2.0 socket, the power port and a Kensington lock slot. Build quality is excellent throughout and makes you feel confident about chucking this about without worrying. Raking your fingernails down the shell does more damage to your digits than the device itself, and no amount of bending or twisting will cause it to yield. Paired with the functional design, it's oddly reminiscent of a tank -- stocky, functional and hard as nails, with plenty of power hidden beneath the hood.

The most important component of any laptop is its inputs. The biggest issue here is that the island-style keyboard isn't full-size, a necessary yet unwelcome compromise given the compact nature of the device. The keys are tremendously shallow and resistive, meaning that you have to hammer them down with plenty of force in order to make sure your typing registers. Packing in the keys means shaving millimeters off the footprint and space in between, which is a nightmare for chubby-fingered typists. In fact, a certain reviewer typed the early parts of this review hunt-and-peck fashion until his fingers had acclimatized. If you were looking for another stick to beat this keyboard with, then the lack of back lighting grates. Compared to the M11x, which looked like the Disco where Tron hung out on weekends, we were hoping for at least a simple white light to help our typing in the dark.

Meanwhile, the dinky 3.2 x 1.6-inch Synaptics trackpad is textured in the same way as the lid, which adds unwanted friction to your mousing around. During a week of constant use, we had to grab a USB mouse just to get our day's work done. Gamers who left their external rodent at home aren't going to find any solace here -- in fact we'd have preferred a pad with a built-in button just to gain a few more square centimeters of real estate for our fingers. In fact, just take it as read that you'll always need to bring your peripherals along with you, even for casual surfing or typing.

If there's one annoyance with the otherwise fine 1,366 x 768 panel (aside from glossiness, but we've tread that ground before) it's the relatively weak 200-nit backlight. Comparable 11-inch laptops with similarly sharp displays can nearly double that. Trying to work in direct sunlight is made tremendously difficult as a result, not to mention the nightmare we had trying to photograph the thing. Perhaps Maingear (or more appropriately, Clevo) felt that its primary consumer base wouldn't be spending too much time offing the Zerg in strong light, but we'd have appreciated it.

A pair of asymmetrical speakers built into the base supply the sound for the laptop, which can only be charitably described as weak. There's very little bass and as such, the sound is muted, coarse and a little tinny. The addition of THX Tru Studio Pro smoothes off many of those rough edges, at the sacrifice of some of its loudness. Certainly you won't be using this as a media-watching machine without some external speakers as the laptop on its own won't comfortably fill a room, but for quiet time with the device, it's perfectly serviceable.

Maingear Pulse 11 (2.1GHz Core i7-3612QM, GeForce GT 650M)MSI GT70 (2.23GHz Core i7-3610QM, GeForce GTX 670M)The higher the score, the better.

Remember when we used the phrase "small but powerful?" If anything, that's an understatement. The model we received had a boot up time of 24.7 seconds and ratcheted a PC Mark Vantage score of 17,126. That's a number strong enough to send plenty of other laptops off for a cry in the corner, and it comfortably outperformed the 17-inch monster that is the MSI GT70.

When gaming, that performance becomes even more apparent. We tested Crysis (you just have to test Crysis. It's tradition, or an old charter, or something) at the panel's native 1,366 x 768 resolution -- and the machine kept the action going at 42 fps with only a stutter during scene transitions. At the same resolution, we got 32 fps while navigating the frozen lands of Tamriel in Skyrim and old favorite Mafia II chugged along at a staggering 60 fps.

At the risk of grading this thing on a curve, it's obvious that this machine isn't going to eke much out of that six-cell 61.16Wh battery, which Clevo promises offers up to almost seven hours of battery life. To complain about that fact would be like whining about the gas mileage on a Bugatti Veyron -- it's clearly never going to outlast even the most pedestrian of laptops. In our standard test, with WiFi on, brightness fixed at 65 percent and a movie looping continuously from the hard drive, t lasted three hours and 21 minutes, less than half the runtime originally promised.

More anecdotally, we found that while we couldn't fault its gaming performance, we'd be lucky to eke out even an hour of battery life playing with the settings turned up to full. We unplugged it at 100 percent and played 15 minutes of Arkham City, followed by 10 minutes of Gratuitous Tank Battles and noticed the battery was down to 51 percent. Once recharged, we switched to Skyrim and just getting past the dragon and out of the keep (barely the first level) caused the unit to fall to 41 percent. If you're going to be using this for its intended purpose, then you'll need to keep it surgically attached to its power cord wherever you go.

Of course, given that it's squeezing both Ivy Bridge and Kepler into such a small space, we were a little concerned about the heat it's capable of generating. It was with a small measure of trepidation that we balanced this on our lap for a couple of hours of work. It kicks out enormous temperature, but while that left-sided vent is directed high enough that it won't scorch your legs, if you've got any plans to have children, we'd suggest keeping it on the table.

The machine comes with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit lovingly pre-installed as well as a disc of device drivers and utilities. Perhaps it's worth mentioning that you'll need an external drive to access them, since the Pulse 11 doesn't come with one.

On its website, Maingear includes a logo that reads "Zero Bloat Ware" across a stop sign, saying that because it isn't in the thrall of a third-party software provider, its units are delightfully free of unwanted crap. This is essentially true -- THX TruStudio Pro does appear on the machine, but given that it's a necessary component to improve the device's speakers, we can't really fault Maingear here. The company also also rather thoughtfully included zipped files with Microsoft Security Essentials and OpenOffice. Because neither were installed, the choice was left entirely in our hands.

The stock unit begins at a highly reasonable $999. For that amount of cash, you'll get a 2.6GHz Ivy Bridge Core i5, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 256GB HDD and the six-cell battery. Every unit comes with Intel's HD 4000 Graphics and NVIDIA's Kepler-based GeForce GT650M, paired with 2GB of video memory. Bundled into that price is a one-year hardware warranty and a lifetime "angelic service," offering free phone support for the lifetime of the system.

You can choose between two further CPUs, a 2.8GHz Core i5 or a 2.1GHz Core i7, add up to 16GB of RAM and select from a choice of 21 other hard-drive units, topping out at a whopping 600GB Intel 210 Series SSD that costs $1,225 on its own. The version that we're testing would set you back $1,679, and packs the Core i7, 8GB of RAM, a 240GB Intel 520 SSD and a beefier Centrino Wireless-N adapter. If you've got money to burn, you can trick out the unit baller-style, with the price costing over $2,600 -- with the only real limit on your hardware being the contents of your wallet.

Since the chassis of the unit was forged in Clevo's laptop foundry, it's important to know that plenty of other manufacturers have put their own spin on this 11-inch gaming laptop. Origin's EON 11-S, for example, starts at the same $999 price and offers a wider range of colors, but its packing a dual-core Intel Pentium B960 instead of a Core i5 -- which costs an additional $137. That's not mentioning the Eurocom Monster 1.0, Sager NP6110 or Mythlogic's Chaos 1212, which all share the same DNA. To help you navigate so much choice, we've added a table with the core features of each base system -- from there it's just a matter of customization.

Base model only, prices subject to change

Partway through the week we spent with this laptop, we started to think about Arcade Fire's My Body is a Cage. It took us a while to understand why that was, but it seemed like a rather apt description of this device as a whole. At its core, this frankly bonkers gaming laptop has an unreasonable amount of power compressed and compacted into a shell the size of a netbook. Take it to your local LAN party and heads are gonna turn as you invite feelings of inadequacy from those around you. The $1,679 version that we tested will keep it well beyond the reach of many, but if you're looking for a dedicated games machine that you can take with you, it's quite simply staggering.

Of course surrounding that beating heart is the compromised outer shell which stops us from waxing too lyrically. Sacrifices have had to be made in order to make this piece of hardware work and if you don't have the thick end of two large ones to blow, then you'd be right to have pause and ask if it's worth it. The keyboard and trackpad take a lot of getting used to (we couldn't get comfortable no matter what we tried), while the display and speakers were simply lackluster -- fundamental components you'd expect them to get right on a device of this cost.

But here's the thing. Most of you will prefer to tote around a mechanical keyboard and balanced gaming mouse even when you're just doing some work. You'll probably be using it in decently lit rooms and you'll always have access to a power supply. In those conditions, you're entitled to disregard our concerns entirely, because the one thing that's undeniable is that this machine is tremendous fun. When we finished playing with all of these games (and then turning in 2,500 words on the subject), we just wanted to sit down and play them all over again. In fact, we'd go so far to say that this machine is addictive, because going back to console gaming afterward felt like a massive step down.

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BMW and Toyota sign deal to collaborate on sports car and EV technology

BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation agree to further strengthen collaboration

29.06.2012

Companies sign MoU aimed at collaboration in four fields of technology

Tokyo/Munich. Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), met today with Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, at BMW Group headquarters in Munich to announce the planned expansion of their existing cooperation initiated in December last year. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at long-term strategic collaboration in four fields: joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification and joint research and development on lightweight technologies.

Also today, Norbert Reithofer and Akio Toyoda of TMC both signed a Joint Statement to reconfirm their companies' shared intention to strengthen the long-term, strategic collaboration between them.

Reithofer said: "We aim to further strengthen our competitive position in sustainable future technologies. We signed an MoU to this effect today. Toyota and the BMW Group share the same strategic vision of sustainable individual future mobility. Together we have a great opportunity to continue leading our industry through this transformation."

Toyoda added: "BMW and Toyota both want to make ever-better cars. We respect each other. And I think this is shown by our taking the next step only six months since the signing of our initial agreement. Toyota is strong in environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells. On the other hand, I believe BMW's strength is in developing sports cars. I am excited to think of the cars that will result from this relationship."

In March 2012, the BMW Group and TMC signed a binding agreement on collaborative research in the field of next-generation lithium-ion battery cells. In addition, the BMW Group and Toyota Motor Europe entered into a contract under which the BMW Group will supply highly-efficient 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre diesel engines to Toyota Motor Europe, starting in 2014.

Today's MoU represents the companies' agreement in December last year to identify and discuss other possible collaborative projects.

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World's smallest 4K USB 3.0 camera delivers 21 frames per second, fits in pockets

Point Grey Launches World's Smallest 4K USB 3.0 Camera

RICHMOND, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Point Grey, one of the world's largest and most innovative manufacturers of industrial digital cameras for machine vision, bioscience, traffic, and GIS applications, today releases an innovative new model to its popular line of Flea3 USB 3.0 cameras. This new model leverages the bandwidth capabilities of USB 3.0 by delivering 4096 x 2160 color images at 21 FPS (185 MByte/s) in an ice-cube sized, low-cost package.

"This camera is our latest innovation; we packed a high quality 8.8 MP, 4K2K sensor into the Flea3 and did it at an unbeatable price-point."

The FL3-U3-88S2C features Sony's new IMX121 sensor with "Exmor R" back-illuminated CMOS architecture. By increasing quantum efficiency and reducing noise, "Exmor R" improves sensitivity and dynamic range for sharp, high-quality color images. The impressive 4K2K resolution combined with the ease of USB 3.0 and the camera's small size makes the new Flea3 suitable for a variety of high resolution color applications including automatic optical inspection, ophthalmology, interactive multimedia, and broadcast.

"Since demonstrating the world's first USB 3.0 camera in 2009, Point Grey continues to push the boundaries of imaging technology," explains Michael Gibbons, Director of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Gibbons adds, "This camera is our latest innovation; we packed a high quality 8.8 MP, 4K2K sensor into the Flea3 and did it at an unbeatable price-point."

Point Grey's Flea3 camera line measures just 29 x 29 x 30mm and provides a unique set of features dedicated to maximizing USB 3.0 reliability, including a 32 megabyte frame buffer; on-camera power, temperature, and status monitoring; and in-field updatable firmware. The camera also provides color interpolation, look up table, gamma correction, and pixel binning functionality.

The Flea3 FL3-U3-88S2C-C (color) model is list priced at USD $945 and is available to order now from Point Grey and its network of distributors.

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Visualized: The iPhone five years after launch

Reception and call quality 7.6 Display 8 Battery life 6.7 Camera 5 Ease of use 9.4 Design and form factor 9.3 Portability (size / weight) 8.9 Media support 7.4 Durability 8.4 Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) 8.8

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Jelly Bean port passes the butter to the Galaxy S III, ROM-flashing required

Reception and call quality 9 Display 9.4 Battery life 7.8 Camera 8.5 Ease of use 8.9 Design and form factor 8.9 Portability (size / weight) 9.3 Media support 9.4 Durability 7.8 Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) 8.8

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Microsoft pilfers Surface name from its smart table, now called the PixelSense (video)

If Microsoft's recent Surface announcement made you think about a funky LED table, that's because it wasn't long ago that a joint effort with Samsung bore that moniker instead. While Redmond appropriated the name for its new tablet, the two companies are still selling the original device -- now the Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense -- as a business collaboration tool. Though there's no mention of price on Samsung's site, the last time we checked, the 1920 x 1080 gorilla glass device was running a mere $8,400. For that sum, it might be useful for deep pocketed institutions -- so hopefully early adopters hoping to earn some hipster cred didn't end up with buyer's remorse.

[Thanks, swaggernaut812]

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Shaka turns smartphones into wind meters, gives surfers and kiteboarders the gnar they need (hands-on)

Ever missed an amazing set in spite of your sick surfboard because you packed it in not knowing that the wind was picking up and about to deliver the perfect wave? Or maybe you didn't realize just how hard the breeze was blowing and as a result, your tee shot wound up deep in the rough. Good news, sporting friends, because start-up company Shaka is here to make you more air-aware with a wind meter that plugs into the 3.5mm jack on your smartphone. It's a small, plastic fan, not much bigger than a box of matches, that pairs with the company's app to deliver wind speed and direction wherever you are -- and it works by simply holding the thing up in a stiff breeze. The app then keeps a record of all your measurements and allows you to share them via your favorite social networks. Not only that, it also overlays the results on a map so you can see where the wind is just right for all your favorite wind-reliant activities. It's currently iOS-only, but we're told Android and Windows Phone versions are in the works as well. The price for knowing when wind perfection is upon you? For now Shaka's seeking to sell them for around $59 bucks, but that could change if the powers that be (read: investors) decide otherwise.

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Wacom outs the Bamboo Splash: the Connect's hardware with a new software bundle

Wacom Makes a Splash

Dive into digital art with Bamboo Splash and discover a fun, simple way to draw, sketch and paint

Vancouver, WA – June 19, 2012 – Wacom® Technology Corp. introduces Bamboo™ Splash, a new member of the Bamboo family of pen tablets that enable creative and artistic people to experience digital art in a fun and affordable fashion. Ideal for the aspiring artist at home, school, work or play, Bamboo Splash's ($79 USD) modern tablet design and its world-renowned pressure-sensitive pen are combined with a playful suite of value added software to deliver a fresh new way to draw, sketch and paint on the computer.

When it comes to creative input, the Bamboo Splash pen is the ideal tool to use when creating art or drawing digitally on your computer. Bamboo's pressure-sensitive, battery-free and cordless pen is the heart and soul of the brand experience. It offers incredible comfort and freedom of movement for hours of stress-free input. Whether navigating, painting a landscape or drawing a portrait, the pen's natural feeling pressure provides users a direct link to precise input control and a realistic pen-on-paper feel. Additionally, the pen works seamlessly with creative software applications to produce natural-feeling pen and brush strokes, culminating in finished artwork that is nothing short of spectacular.

Software Adds Value and Fun
Bamboo Splash allows the novice or budding creative type to explore digital art in a natural way. "Users will find that the creative software bundle, consisting of ArtRage® Studio and Sketchbook® Express from Autodesk®, blends wonderfully with the Bamboo Splash pen for a simple and powerful way to communicate and express themselves artistically," says Rick Peterson,Director of Consumer Products for Wacom Technology Services, Corp. "Never before has an entry-level pen tablet from Wacom come with such a full-featured suite of software." ArtRage is a hyper-realistic painting application that boasts an intuitive user interface and loads of paint effects. It provides users with the ability to create some amazing works of art in an easy and efficient manner. Sketchbook Express delivers an intuitive way to draw and sketch with a variety of media (brushes, pencils and pens) that produces authentic and natural results.

Compatibility and Availability
Bamboo Splash works with Mac® and PC operating systems and will support Microsoft®'s next generation operating system, Windows® 8. Bamboo Splash is currently available at most consumer electronics retailers and online at Amazon and Wacom's online store.

The Rest of the Bamboo Tablet Family
Bamboo Capture ($99 USD) offers pen and multi-touch input in a single device. The silver and black accented tablet is geared to the photo enthusiast or novice designer seeking a fun way to turn ordinary photos into extraordinary ones using Wacom's advanced pen feel and pressure with included software, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements and Autodesk's Sketchbook Express. For Bamboo Capture users on the go, a wireless module accessory kit is available at Wacom's online store.

Bamboo Create ($199 USD), also in stylish silver and black, provides twice the work space than Bamboo Capture to give creative customers more freedom of movement when making broad pen, pencil or brush strokes on the tablet surface. Make a mistake? No worries. Just use the pressure-sensitive eraser on the other end of the pen to fix your error. Bamboo Create is ideal for home arts and crafts projects, photo editing as well as scrapbooking. Although larger than its tablet brethren, it is still totally portable and will fit easily into any laptop bag or backpack. Bamboo Create supports the Bamboo wireless module and ships with Corel® Painter™ Essentials, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Autodesk Sketchbook Express for the most complete creative software application bundle in the Bamboo line. Like Bamboo Capture, it also offers both pen and multi-touch.

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Ben Heck gives dads the light-up toilet they deserve

By Brian Heater posted Jun 19th 2012 5:42AM

Happy belated Father's Day, internet -- now please enjoy some video of Ben Heck modding a toilet. The tinkerer-turned-host offered up one of his more unsanitary projects over the weekend, involving a bathmat, a Glade Plug-in, a porcelain throne and a Tron-esque lighting scheme. Step on the weight-sensing mat and the conductive ink will go to work, lighting up side illuminating fiber optics on the toilet, should the photocell determine it dark enough. All of this means not having to turn on the bathroom lights once that nightcap is ready to make the next step in its magical journey. And best of all, the lighting scheme is visible underneath the lid, so you can put the seat down, like the civilized individual you are. Video after the break.

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Watch Microsoft's Surface keynote now online, relive the mystery unveil from the comfort of your browser (update: video for everybody)

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Will Surface tablets use Microsoft's new MagSafe-like power and data connector?

By Sharif Sakr posted Jun 19th 2012 4:02AM

Microsoft has borrowed a couple of Apple-flavored notions for the launch of its new Surface tablets. For a start, it's avoided mentioning certain tech specs -- like the amount of RAM -- and now one of our readers has noticed something else: the strange-looking power port on the new devices looks very much like the magnetic, MagSafe-style connector Microsoft sent to the US Patent Office last week. We could be wrong, but the two do seem nearly identical, in which case Surface owners -- just like new Apple buyers -- may also have to put up with the clutter of more proprietary cables.

[Thanks, Ryan]

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Google's Project Glass trackpad gets swaddled in patent protection

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Tomy BattroBorg 20 throws motion-controlled punches, rocks 'em and socks 'em Wii-style (video)

Game library 6.7 Graphics 5.5 Controller(s) 7.7 Design and form factor 8.2 Other features (media, online, etc.) 5.7 Noise 8.4

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Nokia 808 PureView announced for US, available soon through Amazon at $699

Reception and call quality 10 Display 10 Battery life 10 Camera 10 Ease of use 10 Design and form factor 9 Portability (size / weight) 8 Media support 9 Durability 10 Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) 8

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PSA: Entire Harry Potter series now available on Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library

All 7 Harry Potter eBooks Now Available in Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Starting today, read all of J.K. Rowling's iconic Harry Potter series for free on your Kindle

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 19, 2012-- (NASDAQ:AMZN) – Starting today, Amazon.com customers can now borrow all seven Harry Potter books in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library (KOLL). The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a benefit of Amazon Prime membership where Kindle owners can choose from over 145,000 books to borrow for free as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates. Prime members also enjoy free two-day shipping on millions of items and unlimited streaming of more than 18,000 movies and TV episodes.

"Nowhere else can customers borrow any of the seven Harry Potter books for free, with an unlimited supply of each title and no waiting list," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Kindle Content. "A $79 Prime membership was already the best deal in retail, and now it's become even more valuable."

Harry Potter is the all-time best-selling book series in history, and Amazon has purchased an exclusive license from J.K. Rowling's Pottermore to make the addition of these titles possible. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library now features over 145,000 books for US customers to borrow for free, including over 100 current and former New York Times Best Sellers. With the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, there are no due dates and books can be borrowed as frequently as once a month. Unlike traditional library lending, there are no limits on the number of copies available, and how many people can simultaneously borrow the same title. Readers never have to wait in line for the book they want.

Just as with any other Kindle book, customer notes, highlights and bookmarks in borrowed books will be saved, so they'll have them later if customers purchase or re-borrow the book. Books are borrowed from a Kindle device, and customers can have one book out at a time. When customers want to borrow a new book, any borrowed book can easily be returned right from their device. To learn more about the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, visit www.amazon.com/kindleownerslendinglibrary. To learn about all the additional benefits included with Amazon Prime, or to start an Amazon Prime free trial, visit www.amazon.com/kindleprime.

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Vanishing neutrons could be travelling to a parallel universe

By Terrence O'Brien posted Jun 19th 2012 12:59AM

Time to break out your theoretical physics cap for a moment. A new idea about the cause of neutron loss (a phenomena in which neutrons seem to momentarily disappear), is pushing the boundaries of easy to conceptualize science. Zurab Berezhiani and Fabrizio Nesti of Italy's University of l'Aquila have suggested that the particles could briefly be visiting parallel universes before returning. Experiments have shown that the rate of loss is dependent on the direction and strength of an applied magnetic field -- an anomaly that doesn't jibe with current physics. If a parallel universe existed consisting of so-called "mirror particles," however, the neutrons could temporarily swap places with its invisible twin before returning to its rightful place in this world. More experimentation is needed, but if the predictions of Berezhiani and Nesti are correct, it could indicate that we're surrounded by mirror particles in a parallel universe -- a potential culprit for the mystery of dark matter.

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Dropcam's Android app is now native, improved and live at Google Play

Dropcam Closes $12M in Series B Funding Led by Menlo Ventures

Launches Native Android App, Continues to See Swell in Demand for Connected Home Device

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 19, 2012 – Dropcam Inc., makers of the easy-to-use Dropcam HD Wi-Fi Video Monitoring Camera, today announced it raised $12 million in Series B funding. This round was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from existing investors including Accel Partners and Bay Partners. This funding brings Dropcam's total raised to $17.8M and comes on the heels of a surge in customer demand.

Dropcam will use this funding to grow its software engineering team in San Francisco as well as expand manufacturing operations globally. With the recent hiring of Doug Chan, VP Operations, Dropcam has been able to skillfully increase its production abroad to meet increasing demand at home.

"We appreciate Dropcam's position in the industry and are confident in what this company can do for the connected home. Dropcam is in a unique position to lead the way in this space because of their unparalleled commitment to quality software layered on top of impressive hardware. This is a tough balance for young companies and Dropcam is doing a commendable job at this," said Mark Siegel, a Managing Director of Menlo Ventures.

"We are focused on growing – with Dropcam HD cameras selling like hot cakes it's important that we continue to evolve our team, business and products to best serve our users. This inlux of capital will be instrumental in recruiting the right talent to help us do that," said Greg Duffy, CEO and Co-Founder of Dropcam.

In January 2012 at CES, Dropcam unveiled its award-winning Dropcam HD Wi-Fi Video Monitoring Camera. The Dropcam HD provides the easiest way to keep an eye on your home, kids, pets and everything else that matters directly from your computer, tablet or smartphone. The accompanying cloud-based Dropcam DVR tools record, monitor and alert you of movements and sounds picked up by the Dropcam HD camera so you never miss an important moment when you're away.

Keeping Up with Demand

When announced in January, the pre-sale queue for the new Dropcam HD quickly filled and once the product became available, it sold out within three weeks. Dropcam HD again sold out in just a few days once it was back on the market in early April. As of today, Dropcam HD cameras are back in stock and orders are shipping to customers within 7-10 business days.

Software, Mobile Continue to Improve

Dropcam's friendly, approachable user experience comes to life within its online tools and mobile apps, which are regularly assessed and improved based on customer feedback. Today, Dropcam released a brand new native Android app that allows more Android users to access the app on their phones or tablets. Dropcam also updated its intelligent software, laying the groundwork for more advanced motion detection and email and push alerts from the Dropcam HD camera. False alerts should occur less frequently, while alerts generated by people or objects that are actually moving will be more consistent.

The Dropcam native Android app, now live in the Google Play Store, provides Android smartphone and tablet users with two-way audio, free motion and audio alerts and a smoother user experience. The app was completely built in-house with the goal of giving users a parallel experience across all Android operating systems and one to better match its iOS app.

Previous versions of Dropcam's Android app built using Adobe Air were limited to Android smartphones with specific processors running the newest OS. By developing a native Android app, Dropcam now opens up its mobile viewing to more Android users – owners of older versions of Android smartphones or ones with the latest phone.

"It's part of the Dropcam DNA to listen to user feedback and incorporate it into our products. Our native Android app is the latest example - we want to give our users the best experience possible across all platforms that we support, even if this means we have to take the time to build another app on a different platform," said Duffy.

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Sassor wants to let users know just how much electricity their gadgets are wasting (hands-on)

Everyone knows that their game consoles, appliances and HDTVs are energy vampires, and while Energy Star-certified products tell us which gadgets are more green-friendly than others, we still don't know just how much juice they're actually sucking down in a given day. Enter Sassor, a start-up from Japan that's created a system to monitor the electrical consumption of anything plugged into a wall outlet -- from PCs to refrigerators. It tracks power consumption using current sensors clamped onto power cords, which communicate wirelessly via ZigBee with an module (based on an Arduino design) that uploads the info to the cloud.

Through the web portal, users can track energy consumption on a per-device basis in real-time, letting them figure out which gadgets are most responsible for their sky-high utility bill -- and take appropriate steps to correct the problem. Currently, it's aimed solely at businesses, but once Sassor's on its feet, funding-wise, the plan is to also put them in people's homes. The company told us it'll ditch ZigBee in favor of a WiFi solution in such future iterations, and it'll make an SDK and the system APIs available to all so that people can program for the platform and improve it in ways currently not contemplated. Alas, there's neither a timetable nor a price for the consumer version just yet, but you can see some pictures of the hardware's innards below.

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Gogo spreads its in-flight WiFi wings further with SES satellite deal

Gogo Partners with SES to Offer Broadband Aboard Commercial Airlines

Partnership deal aims to connect passengers over the U.S., Atlantic and Europe

ITASCA, Ill. and BETZDORF, Luxembourg, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gogo, a leader in in-flight connectivity, and global satellite operator SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) today announced they have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with the goal of bringing high-speed, satellite-delivered Internet access to passengers aboard commercial airliners.

Gogo, a pioneer in wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, plans to utilize high-throughput Ku-band capacity on current and future SES multi-beam satellites serving the continental United States, the Atlantic Ocean Region and Europe. SES operates a worldwide fleet of 50 geostationary satellites.

"By partnering with SES, Gogo aims to provide the reliable and seamless satellite coverage our current and prospective airline partners must have to meet airline passengers' demands for high-quality, high-speed Internet access on the fly," said Gogo president and CEO Michael Small. "With the addition of a trusted satellite operator and Ku-band connectivity solution, Gogo is well positioned to provide a broad range of airlines and aircraft with a variety of technology solutions. Whether it's Gogo's exclusive air to ground and ATG-4 technologies, SES's Ku-band satellites or, Inmarsat's Global Xpress Ka-band satellite technologies, we plan to offer a full range of connectivity solutions for any aircraft mission."

"Like Gogo, SES is dedicated to connectivity without boundaries. This groundbreaking alliance between SES and Gogo represents an exciting milestone for commercial airlines and their passengers, who expect the same high-speed Internet access they're accustomed to on land during their flights," explained Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer for SES. "SES is looking forward to bringing the best satellites and expertise in the business to what promises to be an important advancement in regional and global airline travel."

Gogo expects to use this technology to offer airlines connectivity services on international fleets flying transatlantic routes, as well as regional fleets flying within Europe and the United States. Gogo is actively working with SES and other operators to expand that coverage globally.

Gogo also recently announced that it will partner with AeroSat to deliver the satellite antenna, radome, antenna control and modem unit and high power transceiver to Gogo. The AeroSat equipment will be coupled with Gogo's onboard hardware and software (server and access points) to deliver a complete solution to the airlines. The components have already been developed and are currently going through the airworthiness qualification and certification process. Gogo expects to be able to install the Ku-band systems on commercial aircraft as early as the fourth quarter of 2012.

About Gogo

Gogo is fast becoming everyone's favorite part of flying. By allowing travelers to get online, in air, Gogo keeps them connected to life. Using the Gogo exclusive network and services, passengers with laptops and other Wi-Fi enabled devices can get online on more than 1,500 commercial aircraft including all domestic AirTran Airways and Virgin America flights, all domestic mainline Delta Air Lines flights and select Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways flights.

Back on the ground, Gogo's 400+ employees in Itasca, IL, Broomfield, CO and London are continually redefining flying as a productive, socially connected, and all-around more satisfying experience. Connect with us at www.gogoair.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gogo and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gogo.

About SES

SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and Internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1eVJe)

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US military looking to create a 'universal remote' for drone fleets

By Brian Heater posted Jun 18th 2012 9:16PM

When you've got as many different drone models as the US military, it can be hard to manage things. That's why a group inside the Pentagon is looking to help cut down on unmanned aerial fragmentation, attempting to develop a way to manage all of the different models with a universal drone controller. It's something the military has tried and failed to accomplish in the past, but this time it's taking a more smartphone-esque approach to the matter, according to Wired. The key would be to create an underlying software architecture that allows pilots to control fleets of unmanned vehicles. On top of that would be specific applications that are "down-loaded to suit individual user taste and productivity," a Pentagon official told the site. The approach would make it possible to control different models with differing functionality as a connected fleet.

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SanDisk outs Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers

SANDISK ANNOUNCES ITS FASTEST, THINNEST AND HIGHEST-CAPACITY
USB FLASH DRIVES

New USB 3.0 flash drive transfers files up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 drives at up to 190MB/s1

SanDisk's highest-capacity USB flash drive features 128GB2 of storage

Stylish and ultra-thin drives now available for fashion fans and youths

MILPITAS, Calif., June 19, 2012-SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced a suite of USB flash drives that includes SanDisk's fastest, thinnest and highest-capacity USB products ever. The drives offer consumers the storage they need to carry libraries of digital content with them wherever they go, transfer their files quickly and do so with style.

"Whether consumers are seeking super-fast transfer speeds, maximum storage capacity or a stylish fashion statement, we offer a drive to meet their needs," said Bob O'Keefe, vice president, retail marketing, SanDisk. "SanDisk pioneered the USB drive and now offers one of the broadest lineups in the industry, with a wide range of form factors and reliability that consumers can count on to store their important files."

SanDisk Extreme USB Flash Drive
The USB 3.0-enabled SanDisk Extreme® USB flash drive can transfer, store and share large files up to 10 times faster with speeds of up to 190MB/s. USB 3.0-enabled device shipments will surpass one billion in 2014, up from 70 million in 2011, according to NPD In-Stat*. The SanDisk Extreme USB flash drive provides the fast performance that these next-generation computing devices demand.

The drive dramatically reduces wait times for consumers. It can transfer smaller files almost instantaneously and larger files such as a 3GB file in 20 seconds or a 40GB file in four minutes3. The SanDisk Extreme USB flash drive is backed by a lifetime limited warranty4 and available worldwide now in 16GB to 64GB capacities carrying MSRPs of $64.99 to $159.99.

Cruzer® Glide™ USB Flash Drive
The 128GB Cruzer® Glide™ USB flash drive is SanDisk's highest-capacity USB drive ever, and features reliable, secure and portable storage for photos, videos, music and other files. The drive is an ideal companion for anyone using ultra-thin notebooks, which are often limited to 128GB of storage. In such a configuration, the Cruzer Glide USB allows consumers to double their available storage with a convenient portable solution.

Backed by a two year limited warranty5, the Cruzer Glide USB flash drive is available worldwide now in 4GB to 64GB capacities with MSRPs starting at $19.99. The 128GB capacity will be available worldwide in Q3 2012 carrying an MSRP of $249.99.

Cruzer® Facet™ USB Flash Drive
For users whose style is reflected in everything they do, the Cruzer® Facet™ USB flash drive is a durable drive with stainless-steel casing designed with a variety of rich vibrant colors and a faceted texture. The Cruzer Facet drive combines function and personality, making it a fashionable way to store digital files.

It is available worldwide now in 8GB to 32GB capacities carrying MSRPs of $32.99 to $84.99.

Cruzer® Pop™ USB Flash Drive
The Cruzer® Pop™ USB flash drive is designed for young urban users looking for unique designs that complement their personality. The fun custom USB flash drive features rich colors and patterns plus a unique design that opens with a "pop" and conceals and protects the connector when not in use.

This new drive is SanDisk's thinnest and is available worldwide now in 8GB to 32GB capacities carrying MSRPs of $32.99 to $84.99.

Available Software
Virtually every SanDisk USB drive and all drives in the new suite include secure file encryption and password protection. SanDisk® SecureAccess™ software provides 128-bit AES file encryption and password protection6 for private files while leaving the rest of the drive available for worry-free sharing. For added protection and convenience, two GB of secure online storage7 is offered for easy file backup and access from any web browser.

SanDisk also offers downloadable Cloud Catcher software, which allows users to backup and organize personal data from some of their favorite social media and online sites, hassle free on a SanDisk USB drive.

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Air Canada embarks on its first biofuel-powered flight from Toronto to Mexico City

Air Canada to Conduct First Flight with Sustainable Biofuel

Cooking Oil-Powered Flight Expected to Reduce Emissions 40 per cent or more

MONTREAL, June 18, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada will operate its first flight with biofuel today to highlight the airline's commitment to the environment. Flight AC991 from Toronto to Mexico City is expected to generate at least 40 per cent fewer emissions by using jet fuel derived from recycled cooking oil and through other fuel-saving measures, making it the most environmentally-friendly flight ever flown by Air Canada. The flight is supported by Airbus and is part of an environmental demonstration by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to coincide with the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

"Air Canada fully accepts its responsibility to reduce its footprint and our first flight using biofuel tangibly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the environment. Since 1990 our airline has become 30 per cent more fuel efficient and we are determined to increase these gains through cutting-edge measures such as those being showcased with this Toronto-Mexico City flight, our greenest ever," said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada. "The flight, supported by Airbus, will link with other biofuel flights from Canada to Rio de Janeiro arranged under the auspices of ICAO to underscore the aviation industry's commitment to the environment at the UN sustainability conference."

"Today's flight with Air Canada proves that the aviation industry is in a strong position to reduce emissions," said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. "To make this a day-to-day commercial reality, it requires now a political will to foster incentives to scale up the use of sustainable biofuels and to accelerate the modernization of the air-traffic-management system. We need a clear endorsement by governments and all aviation stakeholders to venture beyond today's limitations."

Today's AC991 will be a normal revenue flight operated with an Airbus A319 aircraft using a 50/50 mix of regular and biofuel derived from recycled cooking oil. This blend produced by SkyNRG has been recertified to normal jet fuel standards and can be safely used without modifying the aircraft's systems.

Flight AC991 is being operated as part of ICAO's Flightpath to a Sustainable Future. In addition to alternative fuel, Air Canada will also use other techniques and measures it has adopted to reduce the flight's environmental impact. These include:

Pre-flight maintenance preparation:
Fuselage wash and wax to improve aerodynamics
Interior clean and reconciliation of service items to reduce excess weight
Installation of lightweight aisle carpet
Engine compressor wash to increase efficiency
iPad Electronic Flight Bag in lieu of paper documents for pilots to save weight

Pre-flight operations:
Minimizing emissions from on-board Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) through use of ground power at gate and use of conditioned air
Streamlining push-back procedures to reduce fuel usage
Taxiing the aircraft to the runway with one engine
Minimizing taxi time to runway

Take-off:
Reduced thrust take-off
Air conditioning adjusted to save power

Climb:
Immediate turn towards destination
Optimized climb to optimal cruise altitude

Cruise:
Optimized cruise speed and altitude
Most direct routing through Canadian, US, and Mexican airspace
Use of live weather updates accessed through iPad for re-routing due to weather

Descent:
Constant descent using optimized descent rate along most direct routing

Arrival:
Direct taxi to gate with minimal delay
Taxiing the aircraft with one engine
Minimizing use of APU at gate through use of ground power.

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IBM's water-cooled supercomputer saves energy and helps with your heating bill (video)

IBM's SuperMuc has had a good week. Not only has the three petaflop machine been listed as Europe's fastest supercomputer, but it's also apparently the first high performance computer that's entirely water-cooled. Rather than filling rooms with air conditioning units, water is piped around veins in each component, removing heat 4,000 times more efficiently than air. The hot water is then used to heat the buildings of the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre where it lives, saving the facility $1.25 million per year. After the break we've got a video from Big Blue, unfortunately narrated by someone who's never learned how to pronounce the word "innovative."

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