While some people in some parts of the world are so concern about their personal data and location, a surprising chunk of Android users have volunteered to give a group of University of Cambridge researchers a look at exactly how they use their cellphones.

By downloading the Device Analyzer app from the Android market, more than 1,000 participants have allowed the data collection program to harvest statistics in the background while they use their phones. Those statistics — varying from when the power is switched on, to which apps are in use — are then made available to users via the Device Analyzer website.

Of course, this is Cambridge, a rather well respected institution of higher learning, and the researchers involved say the data collected is stripped of personal information “as best as possible,” but we’re not keen on anyone peeping our cell stats.

If you’re an Android exhibitionist, however, you can sign up for the study at the source link below, if you’re not concern of your location and personal info that is.

SOURCE via Device Analyzer

Well, that’s one way to make people pay for puns. The New York Post, that bastion of fair, balanced, and not-at-all sensationalistic reporting, has blocked iPad owners from reading its stories through the tablet’s Safari browser.

If folks want the full spill on Hugh Hefner getting ditched at the altar, they’ll be prompted to download the iOS app, which requires signing up for a subscription starting at $6.99 on a month-to-month basis.

Setting aside News Corp.’s hubris for a moment, what’s odd about this is the number of workarounds Rupert Murdoch & Co. left us cheapskates. You can still read the site on a desktop browser or a phone, including an Android one. Basically, then, News Corp. is strangling web access, but only for a select group of readers.

That’s a stark contrast from other content providers (even the News Corp-owned Wall Street Journal), which have been more platform-agnostic. Now if only you can get other browser on your iPad… sshhhh!!!

SOURCE via PaidContent

Not much is known for WebOS after HP took over. How it feels, how it integrates, how it interacts. But now one thing we know is that Skype will be integrated into webOS. Similar to Google Voice on Android, you’ll be able to either route all international calls through Skype or force to ask every time you press that precious dial button.

We also know that it will be able to handle video calls and, at least on the O2 network in Germany, both voice and video chat will be available over WiFi and 3G. You’ll also be able to initiate sessions from either contacts or the messaging menu, so there’s no need to fire up a separate app.

SOURCE via WebOS blog

With the launch of the iPad and since then the iPad 2, musicians have been delighted with it giving rise to a bunch of very impressive music creation and manipulation apps, as with the success of the Apple Girl.

DJ’s are a segment of musicians who were happy with the tools they were given to add to their arsenal. Completely replacing a set of turntables, CDJs or even more digital solutions however was clearly not feasible. For one, the lack of ability to split audio threw a wrench into beginner iPad DJs gears.

German company Algoriddim teamed up with Griffin to release their own DJ Cable which works with their amazing djay app to split output between live tracks to a set of speakers and the cue track to a pair of headphones. At USD20, the cable is a must have for every djay user as it adds what is essential functionality to their already powerful app.

While this probably won’t find its way into the clubs anytime soon, it’s a great way to get started if you already own an iPad and want to get your feet wet in the art of being a DJ.

Good news for those of you who want to get on the whole iPad DJ bandwagon, djay is currently half off on the app store.

SOURCE via Cult of Mac

It is primarily aimed for academia and enthusiast developers to explore the opportunities of the Kinect motion sensor for use on a Windows PC. The developer kit includes all core features of Kinect that can be used in applications that are created using C++, C#, or Visual Basic (2010).
According to Microsoft, the 100 MB software comes with support for raw sensor streams, skeletal tracking, audio recognition, and some sample code.
When Kinect was released, Microsoft heavily criticized Kinect hacking and early efforts that showed Kinect devices working on PCs. At the time, the company said that hacks by “scriptkiddies” would be a waste of time as no one would be interested to acquire such software commercially. That opinion appears to have changed and there is the notion that Kinect for Windows could go viral at some point. Microsoft does not even have to put much effort into this trend, but simply support a Windows SDK.
The software is provided free of charge, but the company maintains that no commercial applications can be created with the toolkit. There are some limitations to the software license: For example, Microsoft does not allow the use of third party drivers or software in connections with the SDK, the Kinect runtime cannot be redistributed and there is no license that would allow you to create applications that are used to run your own in-house business. However, the company encourages developers to build applications that’s how off the capability for the technology to others in a tutoring scenario.

Facebook is working on an app platform built entirely in HTML5 and geared for Apple’s built-in iOS web browser, Safari. Sneaky.
Tech Crunch reports that Facebook plans to bypass Apple’s security guards and sneak in through the iOS back door with its own app-based platform. This will be accomplished by publishing an iOS-focused HTML5 platform within Apple’s own Safari browser, the one area in which Apple doesn’t have full control.
Called “Project Spartan,” the new platform has already attracted 80 or more app developers including Zynga and the Huffington Post. Unnamed sources claim that Facebook wants to have these apps ready to roll out within the next few weeks for a formal unveiling shortly thereafter, so there’s a good chance the apps may not be fully polished at launch. Developers have reportedly been working on the HTML5 apps for a few months; Facebook began constructing the platform long before the developers signed on.
Read more…

If you’ve been waiting oh-so-patiently for HP’s $49.99 WiFi Mobile Mouse to ship, take heart — the aforesaid critter is now ready to free up one more valuable USB port at your workstation. As mentioned before, this ain’t your mum’s wireless mouse, as it makes use of WiFi technology — you know, instead of the tried-and-true Bluetooth. In other words, this bad boy doesn’t require anything other than itself to connect. HP promises up to nine months of battery life, offers five programmable buttons, a four-way tilt scroll wheel and adjustable sensitivity. Just think — you can finally choose to keep those remaining Four Loko cans chilled without resorting to an inbuilt trackpad.

Read more…