Wireless hotspots will be banned from London
Olympics

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 03:40:54 PM. © Ubergizmo

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London will officially commence this Friday, the 27th of July. If you’re planning to spend your weeks watching the games, you might want to leave that wireless router behind. That’s because the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is adding wireless access points and 3G hubs on the list of restricted items, let alone walkie-talkies, phone jammers, radio scanners, laser pointers, and strobe lights.

?Personal/ private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices such as Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside venues, but must not be used as wireless access points to connect multiple devices),” LOCOG writes. This is bad news for journalists who will most probably rely on their mobile hotspots during the big event to cover the latest sports news. Also, LOCOG did not explain the reason behind the restriction, although it could be possible that they want to ensure crisp Wi-Fi signals without interference in the Olympic venues.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: London ready to get Wi-Fi throughout the city in time for 2012 Olympics, Super fast Wi-Fi coming your way?,

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mpics/

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Android is designed for piracy, developer says

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 03:02:04 PM. © Ubergizmo

Scottish developer Matt Gemmell is saying that Android’s open source philosophy is designed for piracy from the ground up. If you’re taken aback by Gemmell’s statement, he has a lengthy post on his blog to explain his presumption. Gemmell says that Google’s Android platform and Play Store are built in such as way that makes the sideloading of apps almost as easy as legitimately purchasing them. “People pirate Android apps because it’s easy. It’s easy because the system was built with an open mentality,” he said.

Last week, Madfinger Games announced that its popular game Dead Trigger for Android is now free to download via Google Play. Madfinger Games pointed out that the unbelievably high piracy rate on Android somewhat prompted them to make the game free. ?You search the internet for pirate copies of apps, then copy them onto your (regular, unrooted, non-jailbroken) device, and launch them,? Gemmell writes. ?The system is designed for piracy from the ground up. The existence of piracy isn?t a surprise, but rather an inevitability.? I’d like to point out that Gemmell is actually a developer for Mac OS X and iOS, so I recommend that you take his report with a grain of salt in hand.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus Q in stock at the Google Play Store, Google Nexus 7 tablets out of stock in the UK, replenishments nowhere in sight,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/android-is-designed-for-piracy-developer-says/

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Parrot launches AR.Rescue 2 game for the AR.Drone
2.0

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 03:01:45 PM. © Ubergizmo

I guess it is safe to say that when we first looked upon the AR.Drone 2.0 at CES earlier this year, we were mightily impressed. The thing is, the AR.Drone 2.0 does seem more of a novelty piece of hardware than a necessary purchase, but perhaps with the launch of the AR.Rescue 2 game from Parrot, things might change a wee bit for the AR.Drone 2.0. Basically, the premise of the single player AR.Rescue 2 is this – it will take full advantage of the AR.Drone 2.0?s augmented reality capability, where you will need to “collect” the broken parts of an alien rocket which have come crashing on our planet within a specified time limit.

Thanks to the new ?Absolute Control? mode, it is capable of engaging a 3D magnetometer so that it knows the quadricopter’s precise orientation with respect to the smartphone, enabling you to perform safer and easier flights. Before you can give the AR.Rescue 2 game a go though, you will need to pick up the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 for $299 a pop. Along the way, you will need to contend with enemies, and it takes patience as well as skill to come out tops on each level. I cannot wait for a multi-player game that will see two AR.Drone 2.0s go head to head against one another!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Parrot AR.Drone made to work with video glasses and controller, Windows Phone controls AR.Drone,

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e-2-0/

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Arc Mouse concept looks like it can be used
anywhere

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:54:22 PM. © Ubergizmo

Now here is a conceptual mouse that you might want to look into – assuming someone out there finds it worth their time and money to introduce the Arc Mouse into the world, that is. After all, most modern day notebooks come with a sorry excuse of a travel mouse, being far too small that your hand would most probably cramp up after a short while of use. As for trackpad navigation, it is far too cumbersome and sluggish compared to a nicely fitted mouse, although I do know of Apple MacBook users who claim that they are equally as productive on the trackpad as with a mouse.

Well, the Arc Mouse concept is different from the rest as it claims to be able to see action on just about any surface – even on a pair of denims! I am not quite sure whether ?any surface? here includes glass, as current optical technology still does not enable a mouse to work on a glass surface without the cursor running all over the place. Gotta love the curved ergonomics as well.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Stealth Touch Mouse has no buttons or wires, Gigabyte Aivia Xenon does not look like a mouse at all,

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iPhone 5 could be released earlier to appease
Wall Street, says report

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:12:56 PM. © Ubergizmo

So, you’d been waiting for the new iPhone right? The rumor mill is quite long and almost endless, with rumors dating back to early 2011. We previously said that the next iPhone, dubbed as the iPhone 5, could be released as early as September this year. But according to GottaBeMobile, Apple might indeed choose the month of September to boost iPhone sales before its fiscal year ends on the 29th of September. The report is based on Apple’s lower-than-expected iPhone sales for its fiscal 2012 third quarter that ended in June 30.

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer reportedly placed some of the blame on the iPhone 5 rumors saying that this has caused some pause in customers purchasing. GottaBeMobile notes that Tim Cook?s focus on dividends and investors right now are a sign that Apple might push the iPhone 5 out early to appease Wall Street. It’s important to note that these are merely speculations for now. Until we hear it from Apple, let’s take this report with a grain of salt in hand.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Bing Get Me There app released for the iPhone, Scosche RAILkase gives your iPhone full impact protection,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/iphone-5-could-be-released-earlier-to-appease-wa
ll-street-says-report/

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Does Safari for Windows have a future

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 02:00:34 PM. © Ubergizmo

Mac users who are now enjoying the latest version of OS X, Mountain Lion, might have also noticed that Safari 6.0 for Mac has also rolled out. In fact, it seemed that Safari for Windows had gone missing entirely from Apple?s site. There is still a direct download which you are able to take advantage of, but this move had led many to speculate that Safari for Windows might have been on its last legs all this while, and the browser itself has been gracefully ?put to sleep?, so to speak.

There is also this particular page which was put up by Apple that detailed Safari 5.1.7 for Windows, making us scratch our heads simply because version 5.1.7 rolled out in May this year alongside OS X 10.7.4. MacRumors noted that in the past, Apple did list Safari 5.1.7 for both Mac and Windows on the same page, too. Do you think that it is time to start looking for an alternative?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New Attack On Internet Explorer Via F1 Key, In Europe 100M users will choose their browsers,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/does-safari-for-windows-have-a-future/

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Microsoft announces BUILD 2012

post from Ubergizmo on 25 July 2012 01:42:22 PM. © Ubergizmo

BUILD 2012 Google and Apple have had their developer conferences earlier this year, and it looks like Microsoft will be next. Today, the company announced that its annual developer conference: BUILD will be held on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington from October 30th to November 2nd. This year’s BUILD event will be held a week after Windows 8 is released – which should give developers some time to play around with the final version of the operating system beforehand.

According to Microsoft, this year’s event will be unlike anything they’ve held on their corporate campus in a long time. Speakers will be from its engineering teams and topics that will be covered include: Windows Azure, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012, Visual Studio 2012 and much more. Registrations begin next month on August 8th, 8am PT at buildwindows.com. More details about BUILD 2012 will be released in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows 8 Store won't have $0.99 apps, Windows 8 will be available this coming October 26,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/07/microsoft-announces-build-2012/

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Nexus Q stock sold out

Nexus Q It was just yesterday when we brought you word that the Nexus Q from Google is in stock and available for order, and just like politics, 24 hours is a very long time – and during that time period, it seemed that demand for the Nexus Q was so high, the audio sphere is already out of stock over at Googe Play, now how about that? This hugely positive response is a wave that Google should ride on and make the most out of the situation, although we do wonder whether Google set aside more than enough Nexus Q devices in its initial allotment – if Google had looked at a rather large figure initially, then a case of it being sold out is definitely cause to celebrate, but if there were just a bunch of Nexus Q available for sale to gauge market interest, then the achievement does not seem too notable any more. Well, will you be one of those who are looking forward to installing the Nexus Q in your homes?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus Q in stock at the Google Play Store, Nexus Q gets CyanogenMod 9,

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Tritton Xbox 360 Warhead 7.1. Surround Sound
Headset

When one mentions the word ?warhead?, most of the time we would think of a nuclear threat or something in a similar vein. Well, good to know that ?warhead? is used in much more peaceful times now, especially so when it comes to gaming – and Mad Catz intends to wow the world with its Tritton Xbox 360 Warhead 7.1. Surround Sound Headset for the Xbox 360 (which can be told via the name alone, obviously). Mad Catz thinks that the Tritton Xbox 360 Warhead 7.1. Surround Sound Headset is the most anticipated product from its stable of devices to date.

First announced at E3 last year, it is being prepared to ship even as you read this, where Mad Catz claims that this is the only Xbox 360 headset in the world that will boast of a truly wireless chat experience. There is no need for you to fumble around with a chat cable, an adapter or dongle in order to talk. Not only that, it boasts of Microsoft’s very own security chip that enables one to directly communicate with the console. Are you looking forward to the Tritton Xbox 360 Warhead 7.1. Surround Sound Headset when it arrives early next month?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mad Catz Xbox 360 TRITTON headsets introduced, Tritton Trigger headset targets the budget minded,

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set/

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Sony will not perform hardware repairs on
unlocked bootloader handsets

I suppose Sony executives have this funny grin on their faces that shout, ?Problem?? whenever someone with a Sony smartphone which carries an unlocked bootloader walks into their service centers to perform a hardware repair of sorts. This is because there is a growing number of owners who claim that Sony Mobile turns away the repair of handsets that have hardware issues including the yellow-tint display issue, simply because their bootloader has been unlocked. Sony Mobile deems such handsets to have been illegally unlocked, affecting so far folks who have sent their smartphones to UK and Dutch Sony Mobile repair centres. (more…)