BarMax, The $1,000 App (That?s Actually Worth It), Hits The iPad

It was just about a year ago that we first wrote about BarMax, an iPhone application meant to help law student pass the Bar exam. But if you've heard of the app, it's more likely because of its price: $999.99. And now you'll be able to part with the $1,000 at the click of a button for the iPad too. BarMax, which, believe it or not, actually seems to be a good deal at $1,000, has just launched the iPad version into the App Store this evening. Specifically, the California (each state has different Bar exams) version is ready to roll.

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Microsoft nerd reverse engineers Christmas lights, uses them as IM indicators

Apparently, even domestic Christmas lights are controlled by computers nowadays, and hopefully, as you all know, that means they're hackable. Andrej Kyselica, a Microsoft employee, took some GE-35 Christmas lights, hooked them into a .NET Micro Framework embedded controller, took another developer's work, developed a driver -- and voila! PC-controlled Christmas lights (video after the break).

In the demo, Andrej uses Microsoft Lync (Office Communications Server) to connect his instant messenger contacts (presumably Live Messenger) to the Christmas lights. The lights then show each contact's current status -- green, yellow and red -- or he can manually set them as 'out of the office', which is a rather pretty purple color. If the light is off, nobody is home.

While this is a cool hack, it pales in comparison to another computer-controlled Christmas lights experiment, which has been going since 2002: Alek's Controllable Christmas Lights. Alek lets you control over 21,000 lights, and inflate or deflate Elmo, Santa and Homer Simpson.

Continue reading Microsoft nerd reverse engineers Christmas lights, uses them as IM indicators

Microsoft nerd reverse engineers Christmas lights, uses them as IM indicators originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WakeMate sleep-aid recalled due to 'exploding' USB charger, gives new meaning to being hot in the sack

Early this morning, Perfect Third Inc. -- makers of the less than perfect WakeMate wristband -- issued a recall for the sleep analyzer's USB charger, which apparently has a tendency to go up in smoke, and we don't mean disappear. An e-mail sent out by the company's CEO at 12:30 AM states, "we were informed by a customer of a safety incident with the black USB chargers." A little vague if you ask us, considering the video we received shows the device "smoking after exploding." The recall ensures that the WakeMate itself is perfectly safe, and that the Chinese-manufactured USB cables are at fault, but if you ask us, anything that is supposed to help you sleep soundly shouldn't put you in danger of catching fire.

[Thanks, Ringram and Nick]

Continue reading WakeMate sleep-aid recalled due to 'exploding' USB charger, gives new meaning to being hot in the sack

WakeMate sleep-aid recalled due to 'exploding' USB charger, gives new meaning to being hot in the sack originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Scribe turns up in US trademark filings, could be a tablet

It's an open secret at this point that HTC is almost certainly working on one or more tablets for introduction in 2011 -- and with heavyweights like Samsung, Motorola, and LG all playing the game (or about to play the game), really, how could they not? PocketNow has unearthed a very fresh trademark filing with the US PTO -- filed this past Sunday -- for "HTC Scribe," described as a "handheld wireless device, namely, a tablet computer." Doesn't get much more definitive than that. Of course, companies file for marks that they don't ultimately end up using all the time -- from their perspective, it's better to shoot first and ask questions later -- so it's not a slam dunk, but when you think about it, Scribe could actually be an awesome name for a little Honeycomb tablet. Only question is, are we going to see this stuff next week at CES or in February at MWC?

HTC Scribe turns up in US trademark filings, could be a tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why did Pluto lose its planet status? Because it never mattered enough

It's kind of hard to accept, Pluto has always been our favorite underdog, but the truth is that the Solar System's ninth planet was never really significant enough to earn that designation. Such is the coldly logical reason given for its removal from the planetary annals by a man who had a lot to do with its demise. Caltech astronomer Mike Brown discovered Eris, what he'd hoped was the tenth planet, back in 2005, but its extreme distance from the Sun and diminutive (by planetary standards) dimensions disqualified it from consideration. Unfortunately, its discovery is what doomed Pluto to be downgraded to a "dwarf planet," though Mike's not shedding too many tears over it. In fact, he's gone and written a book about the whole thing, the smug planet destroyer that he is. You don't have to buy it to learn more, however, as the source link has an interview with Mike all ready and waiting.

Why did Pluto lose its planet status? Because it never mattered enough originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Books now lets you compare word and phrase frequency in 5.2 million books

Google, in association with a couple of boffins from Harvard University, has just released an awesome tool that should entertain you for at least 10 minutes, and possibly more. It lets you compare words, or phrases, from a corpus totaling 500 billion words from 5.2 million books -- in Chinese, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish.

The potential applications for such a tool are surprisingly large; written works make up the entirety of recorded history, after all. That history might not be entirely accurate, but analysis can still yield some fantastic info. The Google Blog offers a couple of interesting graphs -- Virus vs. Bacteria, which chronicles the massive improvements in science and medicine; and Tofu vs. Hot Dog shows both the growing popularity of vegetarianism, and America's love of cow -- but it's very easy to make your own, telling graphs.

Analog vs. Digital, for example, or America vs. England (compare American English to British English). If you find any interesting combos, leave a comment!

Google Books now lets you compare word and phrase frequency in 5.2 million books originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford's Sync Destinations App Lets You Beam Routes From Phone to Car [Apps]

Owners of 2010 and 2011 Ford Sync-capable whips can now send direction and traffic info to their cars from their Androids and iPhones with Ford's free Sync Destinations app. Hey, it's better than fiddling with the car's GPS controls. [Sync] More »

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RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook battery life is still being optimized, won't cause delays

If you've been keeping an ear to the techie ground, you'll probably have heard some analyst chatter suggesting RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook may be delayed due to issues relating to its supposedly poor battery life. That scuttlebutt has now turned out to be mostly unfounded, with RIM clarifying the situation through a communiqué sent to Erictric:

"Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life."

To be sure, it's not an outright denial that there may be PlayBooks floating about with disappointing battery performance, but the immaturity of the software on them is clearly such as to invalidate any conclusions drawn. Perhaps more important than the imprecise discussion of battery longevity (what does "comparable" even mean in this context?) is the note that the company is still on track to complete its software optimizations and deliver its first tablet on schedule. Guess we can all quit worrying now.

RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook battery life is still being optimized, won't cause delays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus XZ-1 and other pre-CES camera rumors from Sony and Panasonic

It's no secret that CES is the stage from which camera companies unleash more compact shooters than you can shake a tripod at -- and preceding those come a glut of rumors, naturally. 4/3 Rumors has heard Olympus will unveil the XZ-1 (pictured), which boasts the LX5's 10 megapixel sensor and a none-too-shabby 28-112mm f/1.8-2.5 lens. The site also heard that a few Panasonic model numbers that at this point really don't tell too grand a story: DMC-S1 and S3, DMC-TS3, FH2, and FH5. Meanwhile at Sony Alpha Rumors, the eponymous company will reportedly launch a number of compact cameras (go figure) including a Cybershot DSC-HX1 successor, some new Bloggies, and new 2D and 3D video recorders... and though no Alpha and no NEX models will be on the show floor, the site is also suggesting the future NEX-7 and Alpha A77 models have 1080p60 AVCHD and a 0.1-second autofocus. Latter tidbit notwithstanding, we'd wager by mid-January everything else here will be either confirmed or forgotten.

Olympus XZ-1 and other pre-CES camera rumors from Sony and Panasonic originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Humble Indie Bundle is back, with Braid, Machinarium, and a real-time counter

The most excellent Humble Indie Bundle is back, and yet again five excellent games are available at any price you choose. This year, Braid, Machinarium, Cortex Command, Osmos and Revenge of the Titans are part of the bundle -- and again, a percentage of every donation goes to the EFF and Child's Play charities. All five games work on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

The site itself has been significantly overhauled, too. At the top, there's a 'buzz bar', showing all of the recent tweets. There's also a real-time counter that ticks up every time a purchase is made -- and I'm glad to say that since I've started writing, it's moved quickly, from 1500 to over 3000!

Most importantly, because you can pay whatever you like for the bundle, there's now a bunch of sliders that control what percentage of your donation goes to each group. You can give all of the money to the game developers, or every last cent to charity -- but the default is a 66/33 split.

The games, if bought separately, would cost around $85... so while you could get all five games for free, consider giving a few dollars at least. If you can't afford one of the five Steam games in our holiday gift guide, the Humble Indie Bundle would make a great gift, too.

The Humble Indie Bundle is back, with Braid, Machinarium, and a real-time counter originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Open Internet teaches net neutrality to everyone

I feel strongly about net neutrality -- and you may have some solid opinions about it, too. But what about your mother or your grandfather? Do they care enough about net neutrality to make a stand, or even understand what the fuss is all about?

The Open Internet is a nice little website that strives to explain the topic with very little text, and lovely vector graphics. It flows from top to bottom, with two main illustrations. The first illustration shows how things are today, with the ISP providing access to a raw "stream" of Internet goodness. The second one shows what things might be like if net neutrality is not guaranteed, with "special packages" offering "premium access" to email, Facebook, YouTube or other services many of us spend significant amounts of time browsing.

The site goes on to explain that ISPs would even be able to block access to certain services entirely so they could offer their own competing services -- a frightening scenario. All in all, it's a very quick and enlightening read and it sure beats having to explain the subject over and over again...

The Open Internet teaches net neutrality to everyone originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fusionwerkz Raw iPhone 4 Case Review

Back in September, I was given the opportunity to review the ElementCase Vapor case for the iPhone 4, and I just couldn’t give it my recommendation, due primarily to the fact that it was uncomfortable to hold.� I’ve now been given the chance to review another CNC-machined aluminum case for the iPhone 4, the Fusionwerkz [...]

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All Internet Explorer versions affected by newly-discovered critical flaw

Microsoft has posted a new security bulletin which describes a critical flaw in Internet Explorer which -- wait for it -- could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on a compromised computer. The flaw affects all supported versions of IE and occurs because of "the creation of uninitialized memory during a CSS function within Internet Explorer."

Vista and Windows 7 users are at less risk than those on XP because of their OS's Protected Mode, which would limit the attacker's access rights. Microsoft suggests using EMET (Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit) to protect all Internet Explorer processes -- but it's a tool designed for admins, not the average home user.

While there's no timetable given for an official fix, Microsoft has already begun working with security providers to ensure that additional protection can be delivered via definition updates. They also, of course, recommend running all Windows Updates, making sure your firewall is turned on, and having a good, up-to-date antimalware program installed.

All Internet Explorer versions affected by newly-discovered critical flaw originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Authentics Moleskine Pen Clip Review

You have a favorite notebook and you have a favorite pen. How do you keep them together in one place? You could duct tape the pen to the cover of your notebook, which isn’t a very elegant solution, or you can get the Pen Clip from Authentics. It’s a much more elegant pen holder for [...]

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The Weirdest Indicators of Serious Medical Risks [Medicine]

Apparently things like finger length, grip strength, and height may be reliable predictors of cancer, longevity and heart disease. Don't believe it? Check this weird list of potential risk indicators out anyway. It'll terrify, amaze, and amuse you. More »

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The Best Image Caches of the Year [Bestof2010]

This was a good year to be a photographer. Thievery was thwarted, the Simpsons were spoofed, and suspicious amp stacks were outed. Take a look at our most eye-popping, jaw-dropping, seal-cropping images of 2010! More »

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