Just like a real computer: Android gets Android IDE
Android developers can now hack code on the move with the beta release of AIDE, the Android developer kit which runs on an Android device to create Android applications.
AIDE is at beta version 7, but already allows the editing and compiling of apps, as well as automatic error checking (and fixing) and LogCat visibility. The free application is even compatible with projects started on Eclipse, which is important as one might not want to create an entire commercial app on a mobile phone – but at least with AIDE one theoretically could. Read more...
‘Siri, I have some some suggestions for you’
When Apple's new iPad was unveiled last week, one of the features users had hoped for didn't come with it. Siri, the voice-controlled personal assistant that's been such a hit on the iPhone 4S, wasn't among the tablet's new features. (Apple did add a dictation feature, but it has none of Siri's interactivity; all you can do is one-way dictation.)
Despite the disappointment of Siri users, this is actually not a bad move on Apple's part. Siri is still in beta and could use a little polishing before being rolled out to the iPad. Even though I found in my first month of use that it is good enough to change users' habits, Apple clearly wants to make damn sure Siri works as billed. Even in beta, Siri's easy interaction, fast results and sometimes quirky responses produce an emotional reaction that has encouraged people to use it -- a lot. Read more...
Mozilla to drop Windows 8 Firefox bomb on IE 10
The Mozilla Foundation has started work on a Firefox port that will run in the Windows 8 classic desktop and the tablet-friendly Metro user interfaces.
Moz dev Brian Bondy, who described the project in detail on his blog, said the goal is to deliver a single browser capable of straddling the Microsoft operating system's split personalities, rather than building two separate applications.
Mozilla unveiled its plans for Firefox on Windows 8 in February. An alpha and beta are due in the second half of 2012.
The unified build of Firefox will be a "Metro-style enabled desktop browser", allowing it to compete directly against Internet Explorer 10. This is a third application type; until now the assumption had been there would be just two operating modes for Windows 8 programs: classic desktop or Metro. Read more...
Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum looks for new life
The founder of the Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum is working to revive the organization, which fizzled in 2010.
Even though the group has been defunct for a couple of years, it still counts 1,300 people on its mailing list and 3,000 in its LinkedIn group, said Reuven Cohen, who first kicked off the forum in 2008. Cohen's company Enomaly, which offered software for building public clouds and the SpotCloud marketplace for on-demand computing, was purchased by Virtustream late last year.
Since he proposed reviving the organization on his blog and on Google+ Monday morning, he's gotten "dozens" of emails from people supporting the idea, Cohen said. Read more...
What tech skills gap? Train your workers
IT professionals can expect increasing pressure from management to learn new job skills as cloud and mobile computing gain traction and new cyber security threats emerge. Unfortunately, those same IT pros can't reliably expect much in the way of assistance from their employers to get that training.
A new research report, "State of IT Skills" by CompTIA, found that around 9 in 10 business managers see gaps in workers' skill sets, yet organizations are more likely to outsource a task or hire someone new than invest in training an existing staff. Perhaps worse, a significant amount of training received by IT doesn't translate to skills they actually use on the job -- savvy IT pros might need to invest their own time and resources in training for the sake of job security. Read more...
NEC develops 0.3mm thick organic battery
Organic batteries are an exciting area of research at the moment due to the benefits and potential they have to power our gadgets in the future. One of the companies at the forefront of organic battery development is NEC, which has been working on these polymer-based batteries since 2001 and had its first major release in 2005. Read more...
Geek.com is hiring writers
Geek.com is looking to expand its roster! If you think you have what it takes to put your writing in front of millions of technophiles a month, then this could be your big chance.
We’re looking to make both full-time and part-time hires — if you’re the right person we want to get you writing for us. So if you are sitting in front of a workstation waiting for something to render and you have a few hours that you’d rather spend productively than trying to beat your Angry Birds high scores, we want you to reach out. Basically, if you live and breathe technology, you were personally offended when your iPhone 4S started to say “4G” at the top when you upgraded to iOS 5.1, and you hate it when people confuse megabits and megabytes, then we should talk. Read more...
Not liked so much on Facebook: Politics
Stay away from politics at the dinner table and on Facebook; that may be the takeaway from a new survey that shows 18 percent of social networking site users have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone because they don't like their politics or how many posts they do about politics.
According to a new study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, social networking users have taken those actions for at least one of these reasons: Read more...
Walmart rumored to have cloud movie service up its sleeve
Universal, Sony, Paramount, Warner, and Fox are rumored to be teaming up with Walmart to bring streaming video to the masses. They're scheduled to make the big announcement in Hollywood tomorrow, offering the full details on exactly how your favorite movies will soon be available for you to watch in the cloud for an added fee.
The way the service will work is likely to be simple, if tedious: You'll bring in your physical DVD to Walmart. They'll stamp the DVD to mark it as "already copied," and then give you access to that movie in the Walmart cloud. Standard-definition quality video will cost you $2; high-definition quality will cost you $4. You can then drive away from the store to go watch your movie at home, likely confused as to why you had to go all the way to Walmart in the first place. Read more...
Samsung Finally Pushes Ice Cream Sandwich To The Galaxy S IIs Of The World
Well, after a bit of a false start, Samsung finally seems to have done it. According to a new blog post on the official Samsung Tomorrow blog, the Korean consumer electronics giant has finally begun to push their Ice Cream Sandwich update out to the Galaxy S IIs of the world.
And with that, Galaxy S II owners began once again to feel the love. Or at least, most of them did. The update in question is meant for international spec Galaxy S II (the GT-I9100), so State-side owners of a AT&T/T-Mobile Galaxy S II or a Sprint Epic 4G Touch won’t be joining in the official fun just yet. Read more...