Technology News

The mobile gift-giving app Karma announced Friday it has been acquired by Facebook. The announcement came shortly after the markets closed on Facebook's first day as a publicly traded company.

One report says Steve Jobs was intimately involved with the four-inch iPhone, while another says he was working on creating the best car ever. Only one person can set the record straight for a major motion picture event. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the remainders for Friday, May 18, 2012.

There's been hints of it coming as early as February, but we now have a smoking gun at the FCC: the Galaxy S III is coming to T-Mobile. A Samsung SGH-T999 has popped up at the agency sporting newly added 1,700MHz AWS support that's the telltale sign of a T-Mobile device, along with the T999 name itself (the T989 is the network's Galaxy S II). It also totes 850MHz and 1,900MHz WCDMA bands used for HSPA+ data, a clue that the phone is ready for refarmed GSM spectrum. Just in case there was any remaining doubt, we've further spotted a related T999V entry at the Bluetooth SIG with a rather familiar-looking image as well as a Samsung-hosted T999 user agent profile on the web that matches what we know about the Android 4.0 hardware. We have yet to get a look at whether or not the T-Mobile version is any different on the outside, but with the FCC's help, there's not much left to know before the expected summer US launch.Samsung Galaxy S III for T-Mobile hits FCC, brings future-proofed HSPA+ for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  FCC, Bluetooth SIG, User Agent Profile  | Email this | Comments

Facebook's rules state if there are 7,000 comments on a new privacy policy, the company has to take it to a worldwide vote. Activists made sure that threshold was broken. Are you ready to vote?

Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:SceneTap Interview: San Francisco's Least Welcome Start-Up Explains Itself (Video)  —  Late yesterday afternoon, I was supposed to meet SceneTap CEO Cole Harper at a bar in San Francisco, so I could get an in-person view of his company's nightlife monitoring system that was set to debut today at various local venues.

A Reddit user who shared a friend's solution for noisy neighbors having sex attracted almost 2,000 comments. To teach the loud lovers a lesson, the friend recorded the cries of passion, uploaded the recording to the Internet, then wrote a note telling them exactly what happened.

On the heels of Facebook’s IPO, msnbc.com’s Bob Sullivan joins consumer advocate Jeff Fox and social media commentator Steve Rubel for a web chat about the state of privacy in a social media-obsessed world. (msnbc tv)

In a compelling combination of the ancient and the modern, a team is hoping to create a milestone human-powered helicopter — and funding the effort on Kickstarter. The proposed craft, Atlas, is hoped to claim a decades-old $250,000 prize.

Thinking of switching carriers, and have an old iPhone laying around the place? If you send it in to Sprint, they'll give you at least a hundred bucks towards the purchase of a new iPhone 4S.

We've heard that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs may have been working until the day before his death, but now a report tell us just what he was focused on: A new iPhone design.

Is there nowhere their sharp talons can't reach? The Angry Birds have taken wing on Earth and in outer space. And now it appears they may be flapping their way to ... a race track?

Our pre-caffeine roundup is a collection of the hottest, strangest, and most amusing stories of the morning. Here's everything that you need to know before taking that first sip of coffee today.

Letting people climb walls like a bug is one thing, but letting robots climb humans like one? The researchers at the Chinese Academy of Science must have felt that robots these days just weren't creepy enough.

The Internet is quickly rendering a lot of old tools obsolete, but is it killing off spy gadgets as well? Msnbc.com's Rosa Golijan asks former CIA tech director Bob Wallace about the state of the espionage business. (msnbc.com)

They may not have Q in their corners, but real spies do have gadgets that would fit right into a James Bond movie. Msnbc.com's Rosa Golijan tours an exhibition of spy tools. (msnbc.com)

ZTE Corp, the world's No.4 handset vendor and one of two Chinese companies under U.S. scrutiny over security concerns, said one of its mobile phone models sold in the United States contains a vulnerability that researchers say could allow others to control the device.

Imagine a future in which you earn virtual badges and achievements at every  turn. Meanwhile, companies are constantly encouraging you level up your life as a way to draw you in. According to a new study, gaming is going to be creeping into our lives in a big way in the years to come ... and we may not even realize when we're playing.

After ordering Internet service providers to block several top video-sharing sites, several Indian government websites were hit with denial-of-service attacks by Anonymous.

Robotics engineers have turned to the almighty elephant trunk for their latest inspiration in the field of jamming, an actuation technique that employs rubber tubing, vacuum suction and coffee grounds to get a grip on stuff.

Visitors to America’s national parks are used to seeing impressive displays of nature, but this weekend, some may be in for a special treat.

Landlocked surf bums jonesing to catch a wave may need to look no further than the nearest body of water, be it a lake, river or pond, thanks a new wave-making machine.

The oft-disaster-battered island of Sumatra may have yet another threat to add to the roster of natural phenomena that afflict the Indonesian island: colossal volcanic eruptions.

First time accepted submitter eGuy writes "ZDNet sparked a debate about password policies when John Fontana wrote about my open source (LGPL) password policy project that rewards XKCD-like passwords. Steve Watts of SecurEnvoy replies that it is too little, too late. What think ye? Is there hope for passwords?" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

It's safe to say that anticipation is high for the upcoming Windows 8 Release Preview, which will become available in the first week of June. While we're still curious to see if Microsoft can better integrate the desktop and Metro environments of its latest operating system, the company has now revealed a significant change to the desktop portion of Windows 8 -- a completely restyled visual appearance. As you might remember from the Consumer Preview, window borders and widgets featured a simplified and subdued look in comparison to the glass-like materials of Aero, which Microsoft now calls "dated and cheesy." With the latest refresh, however, the company has pushed its modernistic philosophy even further to reveal a spartan (yet functional) interface that draws less attention to the chrome elements and allows the user to focus more on content. Microsoft's latest reveal was made as part of a larger, retrospective look at its development of Windows and the evolution of the operating system. At every step, the company states that its emphasis has been on the overall "learnability" of the environment. As such, Microsoft claims that it's making great strides to ensure that consumers may quickly get up to speed with the latest OS, and hints that it has a number of reveals yet to be seen. In its very next breath, however, it also emphasized people's ability to adapt and move forward, which suggests the number of changes might not be as concilatory as some might've hoped.[..]

Sue Marek / FierceWireless:Dish won't launch its LTE Advanced network until 2016 - or later  —  Dish Network said that it will not be able to launch its proposed LTE Advanced network using 40 MHz of S-Band spectrum until 2016 or later.  This is about 12 months longer than the FCC's current proposed buildout schedule …

The prospect of cyberwar means the U.S. needs to 'rethink every aspect of defense,' says one summit presenter

At any given moment today, on-the-clock employees are updating their social media status, reading feeds and networking on business media sites. Moments can stretch to minutes: A recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that 60 percent of social media users spend at least 30 minutes a day on these sites while at work.

Here's an expansion of mobile competition in the US that comes out of left field, even for us: GameStop as a cellular provider. GameStop Mobile, as it's called, is that rare bird of an AT&T-based MVNO that relies on a bring-your-own-device strategy. As long as your hardware works on AT&T's 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands and isn't locked to another carrier, you can bring any GSM- and HSPA-based phone (or data-only device) and use it contract-free: rates start at anything from a strictly pay-as-you-go $5 through to a $55 monthly plan with unlimited voice and text, if just an anemic 500MB of data. Tablet owners and other data-only fans can pay the same $55 for 1GB per month -- a bit stiff considering that those on AT&T proper can get 5GB of data for slightly less. No doubt this is to take advantage of iPad and iPhone trade-ins, PlayStation Vitas and the overall rise of unlocked devices. We're just wondering whether GameStop will catch a few customers subscribing as they pick up their Diablo III pre-orders or else face the uncertain future that befalls many MVNOs.GameStop Mobile launches as AT&T virtual carrier, gives us rare bring-your-own GSM in US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  GameStop Mobile  | Email this | Comments

zarmanto writes "It seems the Flashback botnet has netted their creators nothing but frustration. Flashback was tagged early on by anti-virus vendors, who promptly sink-holed many of the command & control addresses, and essentially crippled the hacker's ability to control the vast majority of the Flashback botnet... but that's not the best part. The Flashback spawned click fraud campaign resulted in... nada! It seems that their pay-per-click affiliate may be on to their scheme, as they refused to pay out. Score one for the good guys, for once." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Stu Horvath / Wired:The Imagination Engine: Why Next-Gen Video Games Will Rock Your World  —  A shot from Epic Games' upcoming Unreal Engine 4 demo.  Image courtesy of Epic Games  —  When Tim Sweeney is out in the world discussing pedestrian things—the sweet tea at a particular barbecue restaurant, say …

jbrodkin writes "The U.S. International Trade Commission today ordered an import ban on Motorola Mobility Android products, agreeing with Microsoft that the devices infringe a Microsoft patent on 'generating meeting requests' from a mobile device. The import ban stems from a December ruling that the Motorola Atrix, Droid, and Xoom (among 18 total devices) infringed the patent, which Microsoft says is related to Exchange ActiveSync technology. Today, the ITC said in a 'final determination of violation' (PDF) that 'the appropriate form of relief in this investigation is a limited exclusion order prohibiting the unlicensed entry for consumption of mobile devices, associated software and components thereof covered by ... United States Patent No. 6,370,566 and that are manufactured abroad by or on behalf of, or imported by or on behalf of, Motorola.' Motorola (which is being acquired by Google) was the last major Android device maker not to pay off Microsoft in a patent licensing deal. Microsoft has already responded to the decision, saying it hopes Motorola will now reconsider." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Ernesto / TorrentFreak:US “Six Strikes” Anti-Piracy Scheme Delayed  —  In the coming months the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) will start to track down ‘pirates’ as part of an agreement all major U.S. Internet providers struck with the MPAA and RIAA.  —  The parties agreed on a system through …

Facebook has acquired social gifting startup Karma for an undisclosed sum. This is the first acquisition Menlo Park has made as a public company: the first of many to come, I'm sure.

HP is expected to announce a large layoff at its quarterly investors briefing on Wednesday, losing as many as 30,000 employees. But for now, the company isn't talking about its plans.

This week's roundup of iOS apps offers all kinds of listening options--whether you're staying at home, partying at the club, or going to see your favorite band in concert.

Nerves are frayed here on Florida's space coast as commercial company SpaceX prepares to launch its Dragon capsule on the first-ever flight of a private vehicle to the International Space Station.

Quentin Hardy / Bits:Facebook Wins Oregon Tax Break  —  Facebook's I.P.O. wasn't the only thing to cheer about at Facebook.  The company also got an important break in keeping its business profitable, by keeping its costs down.  —  A few hours after the I.P.O. Friday, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber was scheduled …

An anonymous reader writes "The folks at Facebook may be focusing on their IPO today, but a complaint filed in federal court has given them something else to think about. The filing consolidates 21 separate but similar cases and alleges Facebook invaded users privacy by tracking their browsing behavior even after they had logged out of the site. The claim seeks $15 billion in damages. 'If the claimants are successful in their case against Facebook, they could prevent Menlo Park from collecting the huge amount of data it collects about its users to serve ads back to them. Like the previous lawsuits, Facebook is once again being accused of violating the Federal Wiretap Act, which provides statutory damages per user of $100 per day per violation, up to a maximum per user of $10,000. The complaint also asserts claims under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Stored Communications Act, various California Statutes and California common law.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Facebook shares ended their first day of trading at $38.23, barely above the company's initial pricing of $38.

The hype is done. Reality is here. On its first day, Facebook's IPO had to be propped up by its underwriters to stay just barely above its offering price.

It's no shock that people love to hate Facebook.

We're asking you, dear readers, to take stock of your own Instagrammed souls. Dig deep and evaluate how you can help stave off the horror that is blurry shots of food-caked children and one's sparkly manicure.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of Motorola Mobility's Android phones infringe on a Microsoft patent, a U.S. trade panel said on Friday in ordering that the devices be barred from importation into the United States.

Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:ITC orders import ban against Motorola Android devices that infringe a Microsoft patent  —  The United States International Trade Commission ("USITC", or just “ITC") today ordered an import ban against all Android-based Motorola Mobility devices that infringe a particular Microsoft patent …

medv4380 writes "38 Studios, run by Curt Schilling, is having a hard time paying its bills and employees. The gaming community hasn't been happy with the company since the issue with an Online Pass for Single Player Content, which we discussed previously. Now, 38 Studios has bounced a check intended as a payment on its $75 million loan from the state of Rhode Island. If the company defaults, Rhode Island taxpayers will have to cover the loan and interest, which could total nearly $100 million." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

sciencehabit writes "A project to drill deep into the heart of a 'supervolcano' in southern Italy has finally received the green light, despite claims that the drilling would put the population of Naples at risk of small earthquakes or an explosion. Yesterday, Italian news agency ANSA quoted project coordinator Giuseppe De Natale of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology as saying that the office of Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris has approved the drilling of a pilot hole 500 meters deep. The project’s organizers originally intended to bore a 4-kilometer-deep well in the area of the caldera late in 2009, but the plan was put on hold by then-mayor Rosa Russo Iervolino after scientists expressed concerns about the risks." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Man, what a show we've got for you this month. For starters, we popped by the Smithsonian, to check out the museum's Art of the Video Game exhibit. And while the awesome Fifth Avenue Frogger game didn't actually make it into those hallowed halls, we did take a close up look at the hacked arcade cabinet for the show. Speaking of video games (which we seem to be doing a lot these days), we'll also pay a visit to the newly reborn Chinatown Fair and speak to the directors of Indie Game: The Movie. All of that, plus a performance by musician Alex Winston and the month's latest and greatest gadgets. Keep your browsers locked to this spot!Continue reading The Engadget Show is live, here at 6:00PM ET!The Engadget Show is live, here at 6:00PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

At the end of last year, an Administrative Law Judge issued an initial ruling that Motorola's mobile devices infringe a bit of Microsoft's IP. Now, the Commission has affirmed that decision and issued an exclusion order to ban Moto's offending devices from importation into the US. Developing...ITC bans Motorola mobile devices for infringing Microsoft patent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink FOSS Patents  |  ITC (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Meghan Kelly / VentureBeat:Facebook amends S-1 with share allotments for IPO underwriters  —  Facebook released the amount of shares allocated to each of its underwriters today, following its less than stellar IPO day.  —  The company went public on the Nasdaq today, to an EKG-like performance, ending in a .38 cent gain today.

Reuters:ZTE confirms security hole in U.S. phone  —  (Reuters) - ZTE Corp, the world's No.4 handset vendor and one of two Chinese companies under U.S. scrutiny over security concerns, said one of its mobile phone models sold in the United States contains a vulnerability that researchers say could allow others to control the device.