Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Native Facebook for Android app nearly ready for release

Android Central

We know that Facebook's current app strategy has been more or less a failure on Android. Following an update to the app on iOS from mostly HTML5 to native code, it looks like a native Facebook for Android app is in the final stages of testing according to an anonymous source inside the company.

We'll hopefully be seeing an official statement and release from Facebook soon. The Google+ app has set the bar pretty high at this point, we'll see if Facebook can catch up.

Source: Engadget



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/nXKiPvh4Ia8/story01.htm

Bobby Labonte Phoenix Construction Chevrolet Chevrolet Mikko Kozarowitzky Willi Krakau Rudolf Krause Robert Kubica

Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs

Firefox slow-addons list
Mozilla, continuing its year-long crusade to speed up Firefox startup and shutdown times, has published a name and shame list of the Firefox's slowest add-ons.

The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.

Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.

In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!

Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/mozilla-publishes-name-and-shame-list-of-slow-firefox-add-ons/

Robert Kubica Kurt Kuhnke Masami Kuwashima Robert La Caze Jacques Laffite Franck Lagorce

Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men

The social network Cloud Girlfriend
Cloud Girlfriend, despite what it sounds like, doesn't really have anything to do with cloud computing. Rather, it uses a cloud of women to pose as your girlfriend on Facebook, or your favorite social network of choice. The service is scheduled to launch 'soon,' and there's no indication of how much it will cost.

With the tagline 'The easiest way to get a girlfriend is to already have one,' Cloud Girlfriend promises to be a very interesting startup indeed. The brains of the operation, David Fuhriman, speaking to CNET, says it's all about fulfilling Maslow's hierarchy of needs. "CloudGirlfriend.com can fulfill Maslow's higher needs, even though the users know that the interaction is virtual. They will interact with a real person and see real profile images of the girl with whom they interact. This interaction can build confidence and esteem as well as provide real training experiences in navigating a friendship and a relationship."

Our concern, of course, is that it's very nearly April 1. We're also worried by the fact that Fuhriman has a name that sounds ominously like a social subculture that we've grown strangely attracted to here in the Download Squad bunker.

Finally, just stop and think about it for a second. Because your cloud girlfriend will be entirely virtual, she could be based anywhere. She could be underage -- or overage -- or she might be someone who you know in real life. She could even be a relative of yours, and you'd never know.

Let's not forget this is the Internet we're talking about, folks. Worst case scenario, she could turn out to be a hairy, male truck driver from Texas. Such as... your dad, perhaps?

Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/cloud-girlfriend-will-use-an-army-of-females-to-please-lonely-me/

Hernandez Yeley Mcafee Maximus Mantech International Manhattan Associates Lsi

Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app

google talk guru answersBots -- like the kind which automate IRC rooms and Google Wave -- are a good thing to know about. There are plenty of useful bots worth knowing about, too, including the Google Talk Guru.

Just add guru@googlelabs.com to your GTalk buddies, and you can start firing off questions. Lifehacker suggests that the same types of queries supported by Google SMS will work, though we didn't have any luck getting a response out of the Guru with phrases like "score detroit red wings" or "sushi R3N 1Y1."

Still, Guru does answer a good variety of questions and it works right within your favorite IM app. It's well worth adding to your friend list, especially for getting answers on the go on your mobile device of choice.

Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/google-talk-guru-answers-questions-via-your-im-app/

Ryan Newman U S Army Chevrolet Greg Biffle 3m Ford Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet

Is the next Nexus phone the LG-E960?

LG E960

A tasty surprise just hit our inbox, and we like what we're seeing. A black slab built on what looks very similar to the LG Optimus G's body, running stock Android.

According to these pictures, the device has the board name Mako, which jives with previous Nexus device internal names as they have all carried a fish theme. The version number is Android 4.1.2, running on the Linux 3.4 kernel. The device is running stock Android as we can see from the home screen, and visually what we can see is identical to the current Jelly Bean build we have now.

Outside there are some slight differences between this mystery phone and the Optimus G we looked at in Korea, namely the position of the camera mount and flash. This leads us to believe there is a different board inside. We also noticed that the LG E960 made it through the FCC with AT&T bands in tow. A little further digging and we see that this phone has been kicking around since late last month, so we're pretty confident that this is the phone everyone is talking about.

But it this the next Nexus? We've all heard rumors of an LG Nexus device, and from some very credible sources. For now, let's all look at the pictures (there's more after the break) and discuss. 

Update: Our tipster also posted these pictures publicly at XDA and failed to mention it to us, here's a link to that source.

read more



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/XerY_hiZjjM/story01.htm

Bobby Labonte Phoenix Construction Chevrolet Chevrolet Mikko Kozarowitzky Willi Krakau Rudolf Krause Robert Kubica

Monday, October 8, 2012

Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam

internet explorer 9 ie9
Microsoft has shared some news about the state of its most and least loved Web browsers -- Internet Explorer 9 and 6, respectively. Even with IE9 only recently exiting beta, Microsoft reports that 3.6% of Windows 7 users are now running the new browser (no mention of Vista... what's with that?). The post also reveals that the adoption rate is almost five times what IE8 garnered in the early going.

It's also interesting to note that there are now more than 1,000 sites utilizing Internet Explorer 9's Windows 7 integration features -- like the new desktop notification support we showed you in Hotmail.

But perhaps the best news of all is that Microsoft's IE6countdown.com now has more than 400 partners and is generating nearly two million pageviews per month, helping to lure users away from the woefully out-of-date browser. Can the end come soon enough, DS readers?

Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/internet-explorer-9-nears-4-share-on-windows-7-ie6-extinction/

Godaddy Com Chevrolet Kevin Harvick Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge Jeff Gordon

BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 screenshots leak

bbm 6
A leaked early version of RIM's upcoming BlackBerry Messenger 6 has been making the rounds since late February, but images of the new app are just now beginning to appear. Over at CrackBerry, the crew has shared a handful of images of BBM 6 in action. Unfortunately, you won't get a glimpse at a chat or file transfer -- only the profile screens (after the break) and what you see above. All that's really revealed so far is the option to set custom contact and chat colors and BlackBerry OS 6.1-style icons.

CrackBerry also warns against installing the leaked BBM 6 app. There's no guarantee this app hasn't been tampered with, and BlackBerry devices are becoming a more common target for cybercriminals.

Continue reading BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 screenshots leak

BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 screenshots leak originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/blackberry-messenger-6-0-screenshots-leak/

Chris Lawrence Michel Leclere Richard Lee Rudd Elliott William Barnes Sadler Johnny Andrew Sauter

Google+ Is The “Social Spine” For Consumers As Well As Brands And Advertisers

4485210518_e26d6e3a1c_zBefore you start commenting about how much I cover Google+, just hop over to The Next Web (my previous employer), to see the root of it all. I'm a firm believer in Google's approach to become more social, as I've watched it not only happen within its products, but company wide.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/10i-w0OmqSw/

Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet Casey Mears Geico Toyota Mark Martin Godaddy Com Chevrolet

Social Commerce Network Lockerz Raises Another $7.5 Million

lockerzSocial commerce network Lockerz, which just lost its founder and CEO Kathy Savitt to Yahoo, has raised $7.5 million in new funding, according to an SEC filing. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the new funding, and said the round was raised from existing investors. The filing lists both Kleiner Perkins and Liberty Media. Other investors in the company include Live Nation and DAG Ventures. This new infusion brings Lockerz' total funding to nearly $80 million. As we've reported in the past, Lockerz revolves around the idea that influencers within a social network can become brand and content advocates and affect the behavior of their friends. The network, which says it is seeing 45 million monthly uniques, is primarily targeted towards men and women ages 13 to 30, attempting to build a community of trendsetters and tastemakers who love to shop, play and connect on the Web.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/OlWCTBbj0Uc/

Jason Leffler Braun Racing Toyota Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford Mike Bliss Prism Motorsports Toyota

2012 Citroen C5 & C8 Get Modern Styling & New Technologies

2012 Citroen C5 & C8 - Front SidePress Release: THE CITROËN C5 AND C8 GAIN STYLING UPGRADES AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES CITROËN is upgrading the C5 and C8 with new styling features consistent with the Brand’s current cues and models future ambitions. Both models get extra modernity and elegance, strengthening their personalities while maintaining the assets behind their success. C5: CITROËN C5: MODERN STYLING AND TECHNOLOGIES Since launch in early 2008, the saloon and Tourer versions of the CITROËN C5 have together sold in over 400,000 units. CITROËN has given its successful model a style and technology upgrade to lend it even ...

Source: http://www.distrocars.com/2012-citroen-c5-c8

Niki Laudaü Roger Laurent Giovanni Lavaggi Chris Lawrence Michel Leclere Richard Lee Rudd

Samsung creates F2FS file system for NAND flash storage, submits it to the Linux kernel

Samsung creates F2FS file system for NAND flash storage, submits it to the Linux kernel

Has the lack of NAND flash storage-optimized file systems been bugging you? Then you've got something in common with Samsung, which has developed F2FS (or "Flash-Friendly File-System") for the memory of choice for mobile devices and its specific "internal geometry." It's based on a log-structured method, but tackles problems associated with older file systems intended mainly for retro, spinning-disk storage. The company isn't keeping its hard work behind lock-and-patent either -- it's gone open-source and submitted the file system to the Linux kernel, meaning you could see it implemented in Android hardware of the future. It's nice to see Sammy contributing code for the greater good, and if you've got the skills to understand it, a low-down of F2FS is available at the source below.

Filed under: , , , ,

Samsung creates F2FS file system for NAND flash storage, submits it to the Linux kernel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phoronix  |  sourceThe Linux-Kernel Archive  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/08/f2fs-file-system-for-nand-flash-storage/

Stanley Ford Mike Bliss Prism Motorsports Toyota Travis Kvapil Long John Silver S Ford David Gilliland

Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere

Color, the $41-million-in-funding location-oriented photo sharing startup, is susceptible to simple GPS spoofing. With nothing more than a jailbroken iPad or iPhone, you can use FakeLocation to trick Color into thinking you're somewhere else. Within seconds you can be browsing photos that were snapped thousands of miles away. With a little digging, you can pore through photos not intended for your eyes.

Of course, such a hack isn't illegal as such -- every photo you take with Color is public. With FakeLocation you are simply circumventing Color's very limited location-oriented security mechanism. It does undermine Color's usefulness (and uniqueness), though -- if nefarious types can sit in their bedroom or basement and eavesdrop on classy dinner parties and wild night club soirees, people might be less inclined to share personal photos with those around them.

Fortunately, both for Color and its users, this is an easy security hole to plug -- at least in the short term. The app (or server-side) code simply checks to see if the user has 'teleported' an impossibly large distance, without any intermediate steps in between. In the long term, though, Color's users must be aware that its social graph is completely public. Color's users must realize that every photo they upload is visible by anyone, from any place.

After the break, just to elucidate a little on Color's actual business model and ultimate intention, we have two amazing quotes from Bill Nguyen, Color's founder.

Continue reading Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere

Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/color-vulnerable-to-simple-gps-hack-lets-you-spy-on-anyone-any/

Old Spice Office Depot Chevrolet Jeff Green Air Guard Ford Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet Casey Mears

Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 racks up 25 million downloads in 3 days
If you've had your head under a rock for the last few days, here's this week's Firefox news in brief: Firefox 4 was finally released.

Yes, 13 months after the initial release of Firefox 3.7 alpha 1 and four more alpha builds, a renumbering to 4.0 and 12 beta releases, and finally a release candidate (or two), Firefox 4 has been released into the wild.

Just like every other Firefox release, initial reception for the new browser has been nothing short of insane. 7.1 million downloads were registered in the first 24 hours and the download rate continued to accelerate, clocking in more than 15 million downloads after two days. At the time of writing, three days in, Firefox 4 has been downloaded over 25 million times. In case you're wondering, the United States accounts for 7 million of those downloads, just beating out Germany's Firefox-downloads-per-capita.

But now that you've installed Firefox 4 (you have, right?), what do you do now? Well, obviously, in true Download Squad fashion, it's time to tweak Firefox 4 using add-ons and about:config hacks!

First up is an add-on called Stratiform that lets you change every aspect of the Firefox 4 browser chrome -- including the color of that orange button!

Continue reading Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/firefox-4-friday-25-million-downloads-anti-aliasing-and-how-t/

Interdigital Communications Intel Insight Enterprises Ingram Micro Informatica Infocus

Editorial: Looking back at rAge 2011, before peering forward to rAge 2012

El33tonline at rAge 2011 Banner 1

Last year, El33tonline was determined to make a splash at rAge 2011. The show perfectly coincided with our fifth birthday, it was the perfect opportunity to meet our friends that we had only known in online circles, and we became perfectly prepared to hit the showfloor and rock the Coca-Cola Dome with all kinds of awesome giveaways.

It was perfect.

Our campaign began slowly and earlier in the week ahead of the show, we started to tease our readers with mysterious snaps of our stand and behind-the-scenes photos of the rest of The Dome as exhibitors scrambled to get their own stands ready for the big day - Friday - and the launch of rAge 2011.

rAge 2011 Stand 28 teaser pics

rAge 2011 Stand 28 teaser pics

rAge 2011 Ster Kinekor Stand teaser pics

We couldn’t hold back for long, though, and we soon revealed our stand. Although it was a little… dainty, we were incredibly proud of our space. Our design was unique, the aesthetics were pleasing, and we were in a key area - right in the centre of the Coca-Cola Dome.

Last year, we were partnered with leading South African ADSL service provider Afrihost, which kindly sponsored prizes and other goodies for us to deliver to rAge attendees.

As we found out over the next three days, size isn’t everything…

Up Close With El33tonline at Stand 28: Image 2

Up Close With El33tonline at Stand 28: Image 3

The crowds arrived in droves at the Coca-Cola Dome, baying to get into the venue and experience the awe of rAge. When the doors opened, nothing could hold back attendees’ excitement as they rushed towards the ticket booths, eager to waste no time in getting to the important business of playing new games and snagging swag.

The Entrance of rAge 2011: Gamers at the door

The Entrance of rAge 2011: Queuing for the show - 2

The Entrance of rAge 2011: Gamers stream into the show - 3

Very soon, the crowds found El33tonline.

From Day One to Day Two to Day Three, El33tonline’s stand at rAge 2011 was surrounded by packs of gamers hungry for excitement. Our space on the floor was, as they say, bumping.

rAge 2011 Day One

El33tonline at rAge 2011 Day 2: Our second giveaway of the day - the word has spread well

El33tonline at rAge 2011 Day 2: The crowds are restless

El33tonline at rAge 2011 Day 2: A huge crowd at Stand 28 - 4

And then there was the infamous zombie ‘incident.’ We won’t speak of that any further.

El33tonline at rAge 2011 Day 2: The Zombies break into Stand 28 as Mary-Anne protects the netbooks

The team at El33tonline had an amazing time at rAge 2011 - that’s an understatement. We met lots of friends, had lots of fun and gave away lots and lots of prizes.

El33tonline and Friends at rAge 2011: Peter, Lisa, Wayne, Oliver and Oltman

In fact, we had so much fun at rAge 2011 that we decided to do it all over again at rage 2012!

El33tonline will once again be at rAge and together with our good friends at Afrihost, we’ll be bringing you chances to win literally hundreds of different prizes, from Xbox 360s and Samsung devices, to mini-fridges and limited edition Xbox 360 controllers, to branded swag and special giveaways.

We’ll also be hosting mini tournaments for FIFA 13, and you’ll be able to challenge your friends in Joe Danger 2: The Movie and Need For Speed: The Run!

El33tonline and Afrihost at rAge 2012 Banner

The question is, will you be at rAge 2012 from October 5th to October 7th? It’s at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg and if you need a little help finding us, you can peruse this handy map we’ve put together - it’s very easy.

We hope to see you there, everybody! Come say hi!


Source: http://feeds.el33tonline.com/~r/el33tonline_blog_rss_feed/~3/Z4eC2BegDHE/

Jonathan Edward Wood Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley Mcafee Maximus Mantech International