Umbrella Corporation Umbrella is a pre-order
bonus

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:58:35 AM. © Ubergizmo

Are you one who loves to place pre-orders for music, movies and games? Well, here is an incentive to do so – especially if you happen to live in a place where it tends to rain a whole lot more compared to having the sun peek out from behind the clouds. I am talking about the full-size custom Umbrella Corporation umbrella, which will be thrown into your shipment when Resident Evil 6 starts to move from store shelves right to your doorstep.

Heck, this full-size custom Umbrella Corporation umbrella will even be accompanied by a custom sleeve for you to tote it around in. Don?t worry, I am quite sure that the fictional Umbrella Corporation will not hunt you down just to reclaim it in the event of a zombie apocalypse after they have launched the T-Virus onto us unsuspecting humans. You can pick it up as a separate item if you do not want to place a pre-order, since it costs just $16.95, but why would you want to do that if you already know you are going to purchase the game? Supplies are said to be limited, so you might want to act sooner rather than later.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New Resident Evil 6 trailer released, Resident Evil-themed restaurant opens in Japan,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/umbrella-corporation-umbrella-pre-order-bonus/

Digg this

Angry Birds app with gesture controls now
available on some Samsung Smart TVs

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:36:56 AM. © Ubergizmo

It was just last week when Samsung made it official that a new Angry Birds app with gesture controls will be coming to selected line of Smart TVs this month. Well, it looks like Samsung is now releasing the Angry Birds app to a few Smart TVs. We are hearing reports that a few customers were already able to download the app via Samsung?s Smart Hub on select Smart TV models – Smart TVs ES7000, ES8000, and ES9000.

The new Angry Birds app with gesture controls is free to download. So, if you happen to own one of Samsung?s 2012 LED 7500 models or perhaps any of the company’s Plasma 8000 models, you might want to check the app now via the Samsung Smart Hub. Meanwhile, the new 75-inch ES9000 LED Smart 3D TV that was also announced last week together with the app is expected to arrive sometime in August, with an MSRP of $9,999.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung intros new 75-inch Smart TV and Angry Birds Smart TV app with gesture controls, Angry Birds coming to Samsung Smart TVs this month,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/angry-birds-app-with-gesture-controls-now-availa
ble-on-some-samsung-smart-tvs/

Digg this

Thin ATM skimmers fit into credit card insertion
slot

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:36:28 AM. © Ubergizmo

The police force in an unidentified European nation have successfully discovered and retrieved extremely thin ATM skimmers. Just how thin? We are talking about wafer-thin here, being so small that they are more than capable of fitting right into the credit card insertion slot without the user noticing anything out of the ordinary.

According to Brian Krebs, ?That?s according to two recent reports from the European ATM Security Team (EAST), an organization that collects ATM fraud reports from countries in the region. In both reports, EAST said one country (it isn?t naming which) alerted them about a new form of skimming device that is thin enough to be inserted directly into the card reader slot. These devices record the data stored on the magnetic stripe on the back of the card as it is slid into a compromised ATM. Another EAST report released this week indicates that these insert skimmers are continuing to evolve. Below are two more such devices. Insert skimmers require some secondary component to record customers entering their PINs, such as a PIN pad overlay or hidden camera.?

Hopefully this modus operandi will be able to be countered by ATMs around the world soon, otherwise do expect to hear and read about increases in credit card fraud cases.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: ATM scans palm as security measure, Cupcake ATM dispenses sugary goodness ,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/thin-atm-skimmers-fit-into-credit-card-insertion
-slot/

Digg this

Nao robot climbs a staircase autonomously

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:36:09 AM. © Ubergizmo

Our society seems to be making that shift to the world of robots more and more, but robots are still very much underdeveloped compared to us humans. How do you tell a robot to hold an egg with its fingers with a different amount of pressure compared to say, a dumb-bell of the same circumference? Well, even running and walking up stairs prove difficult – but not impossible for robots, as the Nao humanoid robot is showcased in the video above, climbing up a spiral staircase.

Good thing the video has been speeded up in some parts, otherwise this would have been pretty much yawn inducing. The thing is, at least the Nao robot can not climb up stairs – but will it be able to bring you breakfast in bed down the road sometime? Only the future will tell, so for the moment, we will just have to sit down and wait patiently for future robot developments.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: NAO robot avoids obstacles autonomously, Aldebaran robotics wants Nao to be more helpful in disastrous situations,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/nao-robot-climbs-a-staircase-autonomously/

Digg this

Solar Impulse plane arrives back home

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:29:41 AM. © Ubergizmo

4,000 miles later, the odyssey of solar-powered Solar Impulse is finally over as it returned home to where the adventure began – right in neutral Switzerland. This is an epic journey for the record, where it is the first of its kind to complete a solar-powered intercontinental round-trip air journey. Making its way between Europe and Africa, the Solar Impulse experimental solar airplane finally touched down in Payerne, Switzerland at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) earlier this morning.

The entire odyssey took two months to complete – on May 24th to be exact. The whole idea of this particular exercise is not to figure out just how fast this plane is able to fly through the cross-continental trip and back again, but rather, to assess the endurance and reliability of its engineering as a whole. Not only that, I am quite sure that this particular project has done its bit to raise public awareness concerning energy issues.

The total flight time for Tuesday’s 382-mile (615-kilometer) trip from Toulouse, France, to Payerne clocked up 13 hours and 29 minutes, sporting an average air speed of 28 mph (46 kilometers per hour).

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Solar Impulse successfully lands in Europe after flight from Morocco , Solar Impulse heads for Ouarzazate in Morocco,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/solar-impulse-arrives-home/

Digg this

Comcast offers 305Mbps Platinum Xfinity broadband
connection

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:29:38 AM. © Ubergizmo

Credit cards have progressed a long way since they were first issued to folks who could not wait to spend money that they do not yet have. Gold cards were the top tier standard many years ago, but these days, having a Platinum card is deemed to be ?ordinary?, while those who make tons of moolah each month tend to settle for the Infinite cards. Well, Comcast has taken the credit card marketing route with their latest Xfinity broadband connection which delivers a theoretical 305Mbps connection – calling it the Platinum tier, which is a wee bit faster (on paper, at least) than what Verizon?s FiOS offers with 300Mbps.

The asking price for such insane speeds? We are looking at approximately $300 each month, and this is roughly a $90 premium compared to what FiOS have to fork out. Economically, it does not make sense, but then again, so is buying a Hummer when it absolutely sucks at fuel economy. One thing?s for sure – you need not wait any more when it comes to your Internet connection, as websites should load more or less instantaneously.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Comcast purchases Microsoft's 50% stake in MSNBC.com, Disney launches three apps on iOS that allows for live streaming,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/comcast-offers-305mbps-platinum-xfinity-broadban
d-connection/

Digg this

Gamigos 11 million passwords published in 500MB
file, damage already done

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:27:36 AM. © Ubergizmo

It seems that a user at password-hacking forum Inside Pro published a 500MB file earlier this month that was said to hold nearly 11 million passwords which were harvested from users over at the popular German gaming site Gamigo – at least that is what Forbes reports. The ?offending? file that carries those passwords have since been removed, but Forbes believes that the damage has already been done as said file was hanging around cyberspace for weeks prior to being removed.

Steve Thomas, founder of data breach warning service PwnedList, mentioned to Forbes that the published passwords could very well make history as it is the ?largest leak I?ve ever actually seen,? but at his final count, he managed to tally ?just? 8.2 million unique email addresses and passwords – which is a good 3 million or so short of the 11 million as claimed by the original leaker. Hopefully nothing bad comes out of this in the long run – were you affected by Gamigo?s password leak, and have you already changed your password?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus Q hack gives you home replacement launcher, new apps including Netflix, iCloud hacked?,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/gamigos-11-million-passwords-published-in-500mb-
file-damage-already-done/

Digg this

One-Sqm-House is a unique addition to any city

Just when you thought that the city which you live in is too congested and more needs to be done by the government to provide affordable housing to the masses, here comes what is dubbed as the ?One-Sqm-House?, which is actually the brainchild of Van Bo Le-Mentzel. Van Bo Le-Mentzel is a long-time Berlin resident, and architect, having dreamed up this unique house which was described by Van himself as “no one other than I, myself, can decide what happens with this one square meter of mine in the world. It’s the only square meter in the world where I can decide what direction the window looks in, what direction the door opens in, what neighbors I have.”

This young architect has worked with the BMW Guggenheim Lab, so that he is able to share his vision for a tiny home with the rest of the world. Le-Mentzel has already invited all Berliners to come and assist in building as many One-Sqm-Houses as possible, where he offered to pay for the bill of materials for those who are less fortunate, as long as these people gave permission to the Lab to rent them out until the end of July. Those who are interested in renting out the One-Sqm-House will see it listed on Airbnb for ?1 per night, although when the experiment comes to a conclusion on July 29th, the builders are able to return and pick up their ?babies.?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus Q in stock at the Google Play Store, Vizio Co-Star Google TV now up for pre-order,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/one-sqm-house/

Digg this

Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini pre-order kicks off

Here are a couple of storage devices that you might just be interested in – the Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini, and good news for those who want to pick either one (or both!) up, they are now available for pre-order. Just what will these two devices come with right out of the box? You will surely be pleased to hear that they will now boast not only a built-in hard drive in addition to SSD performance in a single device. Connectivity options are blazing fast, too, thanks to the inclusion of Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 with the relevant cables thrown into the mix.

You will also have better peace of mind thanks to enhanced data protection features and an extended warranty, and according to the folks at Drobo, they are hugely touched that the response to their Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini have proved to be overwhelming – resulting in their highest website traffic and signups to date. Do you want to be part of the enthusiastic group and place your very own pre-order today?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Drobo unveils 5D and Mini Thunderbolt + USB 3.0 drives, Drobo targets businesses with 12-bay Pro series,

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/drobo-5d-and-drobo-mini-pre-order-kicks-off/

Digg this

Verizon and Redbox details new video streaming
service

In February this year, we said that Verizon and Redbox were teaming up to release a new video service that could rival Netflix. We also said that the yet to be announced service will be introduced sometime in the second half of this year. But it looks like the time is ripe for Verizon to unveil the said service. Finally it’s got a name – Redbox Instant.

And the service has just been launched in internal alpha testing today, with the goal of launching a beta program in the coming months, as well as a full ?up and ready? service going live later this year. Redbox Instant will be a subscription-based service, albeit Verizon declined to divulge any information regarding its subscription rates. Details about its content are yet to be announced as well. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Verizon and Coinstar team up to take on Netflix, Verizon Galaxy Nexus reportedly getting another OTA Ice Cream Sandwich update,