Ryan Heise | The Verge

Bravo looks to Silicon Valley and lolcats for new reality TV shows

2012-04-08T00:26:04-04:00

silicon valley reality show

TV network Bravo has given the green light to a new reality show that will follow the exploits of various 20-somethings as they look to make it big in the tech-centric world of northern California. Tentatively titled “Silicon Valley,” the series will be produced by Randi Zuckerberg — Mark Zuckerberg’s sister and Facebook’s former marketing director. As VentureBeat notes, Bravo began casting for the series last year, putting out a call on Craigslist for “confident professionals with big personalities.” From the brief preview clip (which you can check out starting at the 1:19 mark of the video below), it’s fairly obvious that the network succeeded at finding these people, as it looks like the show is going to focus more on outlandish situations and personalities rather than working day and night to try to get a startup off the ground.

The preview has drawn the ire of some Silicon Valley insiders, including Pando Daily founder Sarah Lacey, who says the show “is quite literally making us look like ‘The Jersey Shore,’ only without the tans.” Zuckerberg responded to the criticism in a note on her Facebook page, saying that the show is meant to follow the lives of people trying to breakout in the tech industry rather than represent all of Silicon Valley. We might suggest changing the show’s name, if that’s the case.

If this on-screen (and off-screen) drama is a bit much for you, Bravo has also announced “Huh?”, a show that takes viewers inside the offices of the cat macro mavens at icanhazcheezburger.com. Our guess is this will be a little less controversial. Bravo hasn’t announced when either show will debut.

Tweetbot 2.2 for iOS syncs timeline, DM, and mute settings to iCloud

2012-04-07T16:26:02-04:00

tweetbot 2.2

Developer Tapbots has updated its popular iOS Twitter client, Tweetbot, to version 2.2 on both the iPad and iPhone. The biggest addition in the update by far is the ability to sync Tweetbot with an iCloud account. Previously, users were able to sync their timeline positions across various Twitter clients using the Tweet Marker service, but no other settings were shared between apps. Now when using iCloud syncing in Tweetbot, timeline positions, direct message read statuses, and mute settings are all matched up across various iOS devices running the app. The downside to this is that you can only take advantage of these features when going between various Tweetbot instances; iCloud syncing won’t be reflected in any other Twitter app, thanks to iCloud’s sandboxing. We’re still not quite at the continuous client future that iCloud syncing has hinted at, but it’s a promising move.

Other additions to Tweetbot 2.2 include inline thumbnail previews for tweets that contain links to the App Store and YouTube videos, as well as various bug fixes. Both versions are available now.

‘One Sense’ headphones block out the world, use spikes to ward off interruptions

2012-03-31T09:39:04-04:00

onesense headphones

Sometimes it seems like the only way to escape the bombardment of information from the digital and physical world is to flee into the countryside, far from the reach of broadband lines or cell signals. Apparently designer Joe Doucet isn’t satisfied with the idea of holing up in the mountains to get away from it all, and has come up with an artistic solution. The “One Sense” headphones not only cover the wearer’s ears, but a bright red band of spikes wraps around their face to shut out the visual world and discourage outside interruptions. Sure, they probably aren’t very practical, but the point is to make a statement about the ever-increasing distractions from technology, advertising, and the modern world in general. “One Sense symbolises the human need for periods of peace and tranquility,” says Doucet on the headphones’ design. They might block out the world to the user, but they don’t look like they provide much peace or tranquility to onlookers.

We don’t expect you’ll be able to buy your own pair of One Sense headphones anytime soon, but if you’d like to check them out in person, they’ll be on display at the Meet My Project design show in Milan at the end of April, and in New York City during Design Week in May.

Microsoft extends ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’ challenge until April 5th

2012-03-31T08:08:02-04:00

Gallery Photo: Smoked by Windows Phone hands-on pictures

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Challenge isn’t without controversy, but apparently it’s also popular enough to warrant going on a few extra days. The contest was set to end on March 29th, but Microsoft is extending it until April 5th, with a few tweaks to the prizes. For each remaining day of the contest, only the first 100 people to lose the challenge at each Microsoft Store will be eligible for a free phone. The next 500 will be offered a $25 gift card if they lose, but won’t be required to recycle their “smoked” handset to get the card. If anyone can manage to pull out a victory over Windows Phone, there’s still that $1000 Hunger Games-branded laptop up for grabs.

Even with the contention over what constitutes a win over Windows Phone, extending the contest seems to be sign that Microsoft is pleased with how it’s going. In fact, limiting each store to 100 free phones a day for the remainder of the challenge might be a testament to just how many it has already given away. Considering how we found the the odds to be greatly stacked in Microsoft’s favor when we took the challenge, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company just didn’t have the inventory to extend the promotion without altering it. So if you think you’ve got what it takes to beat Windows Phone, or if you just want to wave the white flag and get a free device, there’s a few more days to head to a Microsoft Store and take the challenge.

Vint Cerf comes down hard on the EU’s proposed ‘right to be forgotten’ policy

2012-03-30T01:41:04-04:00

While Vint Cerf is in the UK attending the launch of the Life Online, a museum exhibit that celebrates the origins of the internet, he’s taking the time to voice his concern over what he sees as a threat to the connected world. Cerf, who is often credited as the father of the internet, tells The Telegraph that the European Union’s proposed “right to be forgotten” policy is unachievable, citing how easy it is for people to copy information from the internet to their computers, and then re-upload it later. He also notes that our world is already based on the idea that once something is published — a book or a newspaper, for instance — it can’t easily be retracted. Cerf believes this should hold true for digital content, and he equates enacting a law like “right to be forgotten” to breaking into someone’s home to remove a physical object.

The right to be forgotten policy aims to allow citizens to have specific information about them completely removed from search engines or even the whole internet. However, the proposed regulation has not been well defined by the EU due to the enormous technical and legal implications it presents. Cerf believes that, while the policy would be unfair and nearly impossible to implement, the issue of objectionable personal information finding its way to the internet will eventually sort itself out. Over time, he says, people’s behaviours will change and they’ll become more conscious about what they post online, as well as what others could potentially post of them. We’d have to agree that a bit of personal discretion is a much better option than trying to police the whole internet.

‘Nokia TV’ Windows Phone app rumored for Lumia handsets

2012-03-30T01:11:01-04:00

nokiatv

WP7forum.ru claims to the have leaked screenshots of an unannounced Windows Phone 7 app called “Nokia TV.” The app, which would be a likely candidate for the company’s Lumia line, will apparently allow users to search content archives from various local networks, stream shows over Wi-Fi or cellular data, download shows for offline viewing, and possibly stream live TV. While the app’s existence is unconfirmed, the alleged screenshots do resemble some of Nokia’s other Windows Phone 7 apps. Specifically, Nokia TV’s background resembles the abstract design also seen in the recently announced Nokia Reading.

Rumor has it that the app will launch first in Finland, with three local stations providing content: YLE, MTV3, and Nelopen. There’s no specific release date for the app, nor any information on whether it will be localized for other regions. Nokia TV would join the wealth of Windows Phone 7 apps that Espoo have been developing for its Lumia line, including the previously mentioned Nokia Reading, Music, Play, Creative Studio, and various transportation apps. Nokia has already made it clear that it’s aiming for Windows Phone customization both on the hardware and software side, so there’s every reason to think this is real. Whether a self-branded TV app would move the sales needle, though, remains to be seen.

Ubi-Camera turns your hands into the viewfinder

2012-03-29T00:46:01-04:00

ubi-camera

A team of researchers at Japan’s Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences has taken a cue from film directors to develop an innovative new camera prototype. The Ubi-Camera is a small device that fits into the right angle made by your thumbs and index fingers when you hold them together to frame a scene. There’s no viewfinder or LCD. All composition is done with your hands, with the Ubi-Camera slipped over one of your index finders. Zoom is calculated by an infrared distance sensor to detect how far you’re holding the camera from your face: hold it close to get a wide angle, or extend your arms out to zoom. Your thumb rests on a shutter release, and when you’re ready to take a shot, you just squeeze the whole thing together.

The prototype currently only works tethered to a computer and the infrared sensor doesn’t always do a great job figuring out how far you’re zoomed. Still, the team plans to refine the Ubi-Camera and eventually get it out of the lab, though it’s unknown whether it will ever become a consumer product. But if you’ve got two hands, you can probably get a pretty good sense of what taking a photo with the Ubi-Camera would be like.

Square updates its credit card reader to include hardware encryption

2012-03-28T23:45:09-04:00

Square Card Reader 3 1020

VentureBeat is reporting that mobile payment company Square has updated its credit card reader to support hardware encryption. Apparently all Square dongles will now include circuitry that encrypts credit card data (which is turned into audio after a card is swiped) before it’s sent to an iOS or Android device. VentureBeat received one of the new readers and confirmed the internals had changed, most notably by the inclusion of a small battery. Including hardware encryption should mean that only the official Square app will be able to decipher the information, greatly limiting the usefulness of Square dongles when it comes to skimming. VentureBeat says that Square will also replace old dongles already in use that lack the new security feature.

While it might be surprising to hear that most of Square’s credit card readers in the wild lack this level of security, the issue has been contentious for quite some time. Last year, Square competitor VeriFone set up a website outlining the potential perils of using the tiny plastic dongle, including an open letter in which its CEO wrote that the reader is ripe for use in skimming scams. VeriFone went so far as to write an app that shows how easy it is to steal someone’s credit card info with the device. More recently, PayPal decided to take Square head on by launching PayPal Here, and touting the hardware encryption in its dongle. However, with its hardware seemingly now up to snuff, and with a significant head start over the competition, Square remains the mobile payment method to beat.

T-Mobile leak shows $5 price increase for 5GB and 10GB add-on data plans

2012-03-27T05:13:04-04:00

t-mobile rate increase

According to an internal T-Mobile memo obtained by TmoNews, monthly pricing for the company’s add-on data plans for subsidized devices is set to increase five dollars on April 4th. The Premium 5GB Classic and Ultra 10GB Classic data plans, which are purchased alongside a voice plan, will now be $35 and and $65, respectively. Customers who signed up for the plans prior to April 4th won’t be affected by the price increase. Both plans will continue to have T-Mobile’s hotspot feature, but there don’t seem to be any additional bonuses added to the newly priced plans.

The new pricing makes T-Mobile’s Classic plans cost $10 more than its Value plan for the same amount of data. Value plans, however, require customers to already own a compatible phone or to purchase a phone at full price from T-Mobile, which increases the upfront cost. Customers who do opt for a Value plan can save money over the length of their contracts. The company’s CMO Cole Brodman has not shied away from voicing his dislike of phone subsidies, and increasing the price of plans for subsidized devices may make more customers consider a full-price device in order to get the less expensive plans.

Yahoo Meme shutting down on May 25th

2012-03-26T22:09:02-04:00

yahoo meme

Following in the path of Google Buzz and Wave, Yahoo Meme is the next social network to fade into obscurity. Yahoo announced the microblogging service will go dark on May 25th, with a read-only state being imposed on April 25th. For those unfamiliar — and we’re sure there are a lot of you — Yahoo Meme launched in 2009 (first in Portuguese and later that year in English) and allows users to post status updates, links, photos, and video to their own Meme page, which other users can then comment on or repost. It’s basically something in between Twitter and Tumblr, but with none of the attention those services get.

If you’re a Meme user, you have until April 25th to continue to make posts. After that point, Yahoo is going to put the site into a read-only mode and won’t accept any new users, posts, or comments. Up until the site’s shutdown at the end of May, you’ll be able to export your posts or permanently delete your account. The closure shouldn’t come as a total surprise, though, as Yahoo ended support for Meme’s iOS app earlier this year.