History Tech

Another rare, working Apple 1 signed by Steve Wozniak headed to auction

As reported on The Verge. By Dieter Bohn Currently, there are estimated to only be six working models of the original Apple 1 left, and one of them is going up for auction in Germany on May 25th. Computerworldreports that it was originally purchased by one Fred Hatfield, who also received a letter signed by Steve Jobs offering an upgrade from the $666.66 Apple-1 to an Apple II 4K motherboard for another $400. According to Mike Willegal, who has…

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Entertainment

‘Iron Man 3’ review: Robert Downey Jr. becomes the latest lethal weapon

As reported on The Verge. By Bryan Bishop The ’80s buddy action movie comes alive in Marvel’s new superhero epic Iron Man has always been the smartest of Marvel’s film franchises. From the very beginning, it matched Robert Downey Jr.’s effortless charm with a subtle hint of social commentary (Tony Stark is a weapons manufacturer who learns to give back to humanity after an electromagnet is plugged into his chest, after all.) That one-two punch turned what…

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Application

Lumu Is A Digital Light Meter For Photographers That Plugs Into Your iPhone & Tells You What Camera Settings To Use

As reported on TechCrunch. by NATASHA LOMAS Meet Lumu: a digital light meter for photographers that plugs into the iPhone’s headphone jack as a smaller and smarter replacement for traditional analogue light meters. It’s used in conjunction with Lumu’s app — being demoed in prototype here at hardware alley at Disrupt NY – to help photographers figure out the best camera settings for their current location. Lumu is not going to help you take better photos on your…

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Military Mobile

Pentagon Clears BlackBerry, Samsung Devices For Defense Dept Use

As reported on TechCrunch. by CATHERINE SHU BlackBerry and Samsung devices have been given the go-ahead for use on Defense Department networks. The approved devices are BlackBerry 10 smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets using the Enterprise Service 10 system and Samsung’s Android Knox. The Pentagon said earlier this week that it also expects to clear Apple devices using iOS 6 in early May. Pentagon spokesman Lt Col Damien Pickart said in a statement that “this is a significant step…

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Education Science

Harvard University’s robotic insect takes its first controlled flight (video)

As reported on Engadget. By Sean Buckley There’s hardly a shortage of animal inspired robots, but few are as tiny as Harvard’sautonomous RoboBee. The robotic insect has been around for a while, but researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering only recently managed a minor breakthrough: controlled flight. Using new manufacturing and design processes, the team has managed to keep the coin-sized bug aloft by independently manipulating the robot’s wings with piezoelectric actuators and a delicate control system. “This…

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Military

Navy launches first drone squadron, comprised of ten Fire Scout MQ-8Bs

As reported on Engadget By Nicole Lee The US Navy has officially introduced unmanned aircraft along with eight newly manned helicopters into its squadron, making it the latest military branch after theArmy and the Air Force to embrace the drone. Indeed, ten of the 18 aircraft to be deployed are Fire Scout MQ-8Bs, an unmanned chopper the Navy wishes to operate from combat ships set in the Pacific in about a year. Built to track targets, the Fire Scout…

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Mobile

Verizon releases substantial Galaxy Note II update, improves Multi Window support Mobile

As reported on Engadget. By Mat Smith Alongside a bump up to Android 4.1.2, Verizon’s Galaxy Note II update (which is apparently rolling out now) adds plenty of improvements and features. As well as fixing several bugs with its calendar and email apps, the refresh adds Multi Window support to some key players, including Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Kindle and Google Maps — a feature that was there from the start on the global model. There’s also a new notification…

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Application Google

Google Play comes to Barnes & Noble’s Nook HD and HD+, we go hands-on (video) Hands-on

As reported on Engadget. By Brian Heater Barnes & Noble’s refusal to open its ecosystem has long been one of our primary complaints about the company’s tablet offerings. The Nook HD and HD+ are extremely nice pieces of hardware that have been held back by their own walled software offerings — having a fast device with a nice screen only gets you so far without the proper apps. The company line up to now has been that walling off content…

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