Alt-week 7.28.12: social mathematics, Pluto's moons and humans-on-a-chip

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

It's a beautiful world we live in. And, while the sweet and romantic part is debatable, strange and fantastic is not. Our universe is one populated by non-planetary celestial bodies with their own non-planetary satellites, high school social heirarchies based on predictable mathematical formulas and military-funded "gut-on-a-chips." It's a weird place filled with weird stories, and we just can't get enough of it. So, what has the last seven days brought us from the fringes of science and tech? Keep reading after the break to find out. This is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 7.28.12: social mathematics, Pluto's moons and humans-on-a-chip

Filed under: Peripherals, Science

Alt-week 7.28.12: social mathematics, Pluto's moons and humans-on-a-chip originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-MVJnkFLB5k/

INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO

Was This Awesome Multi-Function Pillow Inspired By a Burrito? [Wish You Were Here]

Using a strategically placed set of balls and loops, this giant circular cushion—amusingly called the Blandito—is able to transform into an entire home's worth of furniture. In fact, were it waterproof, you could probably even wrangle it into the shape of a usable bathtub. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/GAoNiVKQ7y4/

ZORAN ZIONS BAN

HP laptop comes with webcam standard, peek at Chinese factory as bonus (video)

Most tours of Chinese factories at least give workers a heads-up that they'll be on camera. Not so the exposé that HP inadvertently gave one of its Swedish customers. Reddit user Malplace opened a new laptop to find that a 3-minute webcam video of the factory floor at HP's contractor, Quanta, was sitting in Windows' My Documents folder. If you're looking for scandal from the footage, though, you won't find it here: Chongqing Manufacturing City's staff are shown dutifully moving the assembly line along in what looks like fair conditions, if exceptionally repetitive. The instance is most likely just a rare gaffe during testing at a manufacturer that pumps out millions of HP PCs every quarter, so we'll cut Quanta some slack. It's still a rare glimpse into a side of technology that's considered off-limits for much of the buying public.

Continue reading HP laptop comes with webcam standard, peek at Chinese factory as bonus (video)

Filed under: Laptops

HP laptop comes with webcam standard, peek at Chinese factory as bonus (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  Reddit  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/tdJXz97DZp8/

INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL

Virgin Mobile introduces $79.99 entry level PCD Chaser

Virgin Mobile USA has today introduced their latest Android smartphone, the entry level PCD Chaser for just $79.99 without signing a contract. Marketing for the Chaser is aimed firmly at customers currently using a feature phone but wanting to make the jump to a smartphone. Featuring a 3.2" touchscreen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 3MP camera and an 800MHz processor, the Chaser's specs won't set the world on fire. But, it's priced to move, and is currently showing up as temporarily out of stock on the Virgin Mobile website. 

It's available with Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans, starting at $35 a month. The Chaser will be rolling out through nationwide retailers starting in September, but it is available online from today -- or when it's in stock it will be, anyway. 

Source: Virgin Mobile

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/FXFeIExK7c4/story01.htm

LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS LAWSON SOFTWARE LAND SOFTWARE

Pantech Star Q for Verizon surfaces, offers QWERTY, LTE and Snapdragon S4

This one still isn't completely official just yet, but Android and Me has managed to obtain some pictures and fairly complete details for the Pantech Star Q headed for Verizon -- a device that was first spotted in FCC filings back in April. As you can see, it's a QWERTY slider, and it's said to pack Android 4.0.4, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, front and rear-facing cameras (just 3-megapixels 'round back, though), LTE connectivity, and a 4-inch WVGA display. About the only key details missing are a price and release date, but Android and Me surmises it'll run $99 on-contract with a launch any time now -- both of which seem like safe guesses.

Filed under: Cellphones

Pantech Star Q for Verizon surfaces, offers QWERTY, LTE and Snapdragon S4 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android and Me  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/sJ13j1QUUO0/

INTUIT INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY

Vizify offers free infographics all about you, makes you feel like a big shot

Infographics. The stuff of high turnover websites and news channels, right? Well, yes, but now you can bring the same white space and pastel shades to your own internet footprint, courtesy of free infographic web app Vizify. It's still in its trial period for now, which means you'll have to wait for an entry code to tap into the breezy visualization generator, but we managed to plug in as many social networks as we could to see how it all works. The service is definitely centered around those that are very connected to the internet. Vizify will draw information from Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn and also connect through work-based websites you add yourself. It will then populate a clickable front page with circles including images, quotes and links to your profile elsewhere. The service, which is geared at recruitment, crafts a convenient short link to offer up on resumes or job emails. Edit options include a choice of color palettes, and the ability to tweak the layout of the information circles [seen above] and the larger pages that follow it, bringing either more career-centric (or interesting) content to the forefront. Sign up for an access code at the source to give it a try for yourself, or take a stalker-esque trip down an Engadget editor's social network tracks at the second link below.

Filed under: Internet

Vizify offers free infographics all about you, makes you feel like a big shot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mashable  |  Vizify (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/27/vizify-offers-free-infographics-web-app/

MAXIMUS MANTECH INTERNATIONAL MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES LSI

Canon EOS M ? Taste the MILC

Canon introduces their entry into the mirrorless, inter-changeable lens camera (MILC) market with their press release for the �Canon EOS M. �With an 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100-12800 (extended to 25600 in H Mode ), and a 3″ touchscreen, which includes multitouch features like pinch and zoom. The camera will [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/07/24/canon-eos-m-taste-the-milc/

INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)

AT&T lights up LTE network in a few more markets, expands coverage in others

It'll likely be a really, really good while before AT&T catches Verizon in the race towards becoming the largest LTE network in the States. Still, you can't blame the Rethink Possible outfit for doing what it's supposed to -- even if it only means rolling out the "true 4G" in small chunks. As of today, though, AT&T's flipping the switch on its Long Term Evolution waves in places like Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and the Worcester, MA area. Meanwhile, the company also announced it's improving LTE coverage in other vicinities around Massachusetts, Greater Baltimore as well as the Washington, D.C. region. Of note, this means AT&T's speedier service is now live in more than 50 markets, a rather small figure when compared to Big Red's 300-plus.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

AT&T lights up LTE network in a few more markets, expands coverage in others originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  AT&T  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nkisZVTUIhA/

INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA INFOCUS