Amar Toor
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Home page: http://www.engadget.com
Posts by Amar Toor
PSA: ICS customer guide now available for Samsung Galaxy S II owners
02 months ago
by Amar Toor
in Syndicated Sites
Now that Ice Cream Sandwich has (finally) begun rolling out for the Galaxy S II, Samsung has decided to put together a little guidebook to help its European customers get started. It's actually more PowerPoint than book, but it's just as informative as you'd expect, offering a full rundown of everything GT-I900 users will need to know before making the jump. The folks over at Coolsmartphone were kind enough to put it all into a pocket-sized PDF, so check it out for yourself at the source link below.
PSA: ICS customer guide now available for Samsung Galaxy S II owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ICS Guide for Customers (PDF) | Email this | Comments WSJ: Safari loophole lets Google track Apple users through web ads
03 months ago
by Amar Toor
in Syndicated Sites
After the Wall Street Journal notified Google of this loophole, the company promptly disabled it and duly apologized, adding that it didn't realize that its +1 system would plant tracking cookies on a user's device. "We didn't anticipate that this would happen, and we have now started removing these advertising cookies from Safari browsers," Google's Rachel Whetstone explained. "It's important to stress that, just as on other browsers, these advertising cookies do not collect personal information." An Apple spokesperson, meanwhile, issued the following statement: "We are aware that some third parties are circumventing Safari's privacy features and we are working to put a stop to it."
WSJ: Safari loophole lets Google track Apple users through web ads originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |The Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments Biological computer can decode images stored in DNA chips, applications remain unclear
03 months ago
by Amar Toor
in Syndicated Sites
Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have taken biological computing one step further, with a new molecular machine capable of decoding images stored on a DNA chip. Though it's referred to as a "biological computer," the researchers' machine isn't much like a CPU at all -- unless your CPU was manufactured in a test tube filled with a smoothie of DNA molecules, enzymes and ATP. Once they found the right mix, the team proceeded to encrypt images on a DNA chip and used their Turing machine-like creation to decode them, with fluorescent stains helping to track its progress. The above image, read from left to right, gives a more literal idea of what the system can do -- basically, it takes a hidden image and extracts a given sequence. Storing data on DNA isn't anything new, but decrypting said data in this fashion apparently is. The applications for this kind of organic computing remain a bit fuzzy, but it's pretty clear that whatever follows probably won't look anything like a typical computer. The team's findings were recently published in a paper for the journal Angewandte Chemie, the abstract for which is linked below. For a slightly more readable explanation, check out the full press release after the break.
Biological computer can decode images stored in DNA chips, applications remain unclear originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkExtreme Tech | Angewandte Chemie | Email this | Comments Google Chrome update brings speedier browsing, enhanced security, joy
03 months ago
by Amar Toor
in Syndicated Sites
The week isn't quite over yet, but it's already shaping up to be a busy one for Google Chrome. After finally bringing its browser to Android on Tuesday, Google yesterday announced an update for the original desktop version, promising faster browsing and enhanced security. More specifically, this new Stable release features a revamped omnibox that will now pre-render pages as a user types in a URL or search query, allowing for faster load times. Google has also tweaked its Safe Browsing feature, which will now automatically scan downloaded files for malware, with an especially sharp focus on any ".exe." or ".msi" files. To determine the safety of a given file, the browser will compare it against a list of publishers and files known to be safe. If it doesn't show up there, Chrome will then consult Google for more information. If the file proves suspicious, it'll warn the user and recommend deleting it. Google added that it's working on an update for its Chrome OS, as well, promising a new image editor and Verizon 3G activation portal, though there's no word yet on when that might roll out. For more details, see the source link below.
Google Chrome update brings speedier browsing, enhanced security, joy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkTechCrunch | Google Chrome Blog | Email this | Comments Report: Google hires Apple exec to work on ‘secret project’
03 months ago
by Amar Toor
in Syndicated Sites
Google appears to have scored another coup in its ongoing rivalry with Apple, having reportedly lured one of the company's senior directors to its Mountain View headquarters. Simon Prakash, pictured above, has worked at Apple for more than eight years, most recently serving as the firm's senior director of product integrity. According to VentureBeat, however, that tenure has come to a close, now that Google has hired Prakesh to work on a "secret project." The report speculates that this project could be helmed by co-founder Sergey Brin, and that it may be mobile-related, though declarative statements were few and far between. Prior to arriving at Apple, Prakash served as director of engineering design validation at Cielo Communications, and held managerial positions at 3Com. VentureBeat claims he'll be starting work at Google today, though the company has yet to issue any statement on the matter. Once finalized, though, the hiring could help dispel some of those "no poach" accusations flying around federal courts.
Report: Google hires Apple exec to work on 'secret project' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkSlashGear | Venture Beat | Email this | Comments 
