Hacker Typer - Type Like a Pro Hacker

If you need to show off your hacker skills, as seen in many movies, where source code just "pours" out of the hands of a young hacker, you just need to head to Hacker Typer.

You just need to customize what you want, and you'll soon be able to type like a maniac while source code magically appears on screen at each and every keypress.

(It sure does a better at "looking busy" than the endless DIR listing files in the computer screens in the 2010 movie.)

White iPhone 4 Thicker than Black

The White iPhone 4 is finally here, but it comes with an unexpected surprise: it's slightly thicker than its original black counterpart.

In an interview, Phil Schiller said the white iPhone proved to be a challenge far greater than antecipated, and that it even required extra UV protection to keep the internal components immune to solar radiation.

Guess that extra UV protection came at a 0.2mm cost. :)

Fring get 4-Way Group Video Call

Video calling may still be a long way off from becoming daily routine for most people; but it's certainly becoming increasingly popular among smartphone users. While some developers restrict their video calling Apps to work only whit WiFi networkd; other, like Fring not only allow you to use it via 3G, but it goes even further by allowing you to do 4-way group video calls. (Yes, even when using a simple 3G connection)

Fring is free and is available for iPhones (App Store) and Androids (Android Market).

Sony PSN User Data Stolen

What a big mess... If you we're annoyed by the PlayStation Network being down the last few days, you're bound to become a lot worse when you find out all your user account data is now compromised and most likely in the hands of criminals.

Sony finally came public and told us why the PSN was down. And the news are not good: the attackers were able to get their hands on user account data for 77 million users.

Names, addresses, login and password, security question answers, birthdates, and even possibly their credit card info.

Sony is advising everyone to be extra vigilant for suspicious activity - though what they should actually do would be to come forth and assume responsibility for anything that may derive from this major security breach!

After this incident, I guess lots of users will think twice before trusting Sony with their private information... (And it should serve as a warning for any other service holding user info - it is a great responsibility, and you should better do the best you can to keep it safe, and be ready to take the consequences if you don't/can't.)

Sony S1 and S2 Android Tablets

No manufacturer wants to be left out of the "Tablet revolution", and Sony is preparing not one, but two Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets - and both offer interesting features.

The Sony S1 has a 9.4" screen and is based on Tegra 2, and you'll be able to use it as a remote control thanks to its embedded IR port.

As for the Sony S2, it offers a foldable design with two 5.5" (1024 x 480) screens, which will certainly come in handy for anyone wanting a tablet that can be carried around in a compact format.

Both sport a modified UI designed by Sony - which makes my wonder when will Google start enforcing their "Android look and feel" policy, if ever!

These Sony S1 and S2 should be launched later this year, but if they really cost $600 and $700 as rumoured... it will be a tough sell compared to other Tegra 2 tablets that are available at nearly half as much.
(The Asus Eee Pad Transformer being one of them!)

15 Time Saving Windows Shortcuts

Ever wished you could initiate your screensaver at will without having to wait 5 or 10 minutes? Would you like to be able to copy a text file content to your clipboard without having to open the file and select all the text firtst? How about safely ejecting removable hardware; or even open up your DVD drive with a simple mouse click on a shortcut icon?
That's exactly what you'll be able to do by using these 15 Time Saving and useful Windows shortucts.

CloudMagic - Instant Search on Gmail

Ever wondered why Google can search millions of pages in a fraction of a second, but when it comes to searching someting in your Gmail account it may take several annoying seconds? Here's something that will show you just how much Google could have done to make Gmail search much better: CloudMagic for Gmail and Google Docs.

With this browser extension (for Chrome and Firefox), searching on Gmail becomes lightning fast, and is done in a non-intrusive way - if you ever felt the need to search for an email while writing one, you'll know what I mean - and it even offer instant previews of the results. I can't believe why Google hasn't acquired these guys yet - or at least take some hints from what they've done.

Soon, CloudMagic will be able to search even further, into social networks accounts like Twitter and Facebook - and believe me: once you start using it, you'll never go back to Gmail plain search again.

iPhone Secretely Tracks your Whereabouts

Looks like the iOS 4.x updates came with a feature that went unnoticed until now. The iPhone and iPad 3G keeps a record of your whereabouts in an easy accessible file.

Sure, we all know that data is already kept by mobile operators (but inaccessible to a regular person), or using user-selected services like Google Latitude - but in that case you know you're doing it.

In this case, this file of your location (that can have data that goes as far back as a year) can be used by anyone with access to your phone or computer.

I'm sure Apple will claim they have something in their ToS (terms of service) that allow them to keep that historic location data - more so, considering that data is not being sent to Apple or any other 3rd party entity (at least that we know of.)
Anyway, I'm sure this episode will make people aware of what's at risk here, and force companies to be a lot more transparent and clear about this sort of stuff. (Can you imagine the number of husbands and wives that are now tempted to comb through their partners iPhone location log, to see if he/she strayed from the path?)

All it takes is this small program: iPhone Tracker.

iPhone 5 Arrives in September?

Looks like Apple will break the yearly update cycle for the iPhone, and delay its launch by a couple of months.

According to the latest rumors, the new iPhone 5 will only be available in September, based on the info from several component manufacturers and people with Apple's supply chain knowledge.

The new iPhone 5 is expected to have no new revolutionary feature: one can expect a faster dual-core processor (most likely the A5 found in the iPad 2), an higher resolution camera (8Mp) capable of recording 1080p video, maybe a slightly larger LCD, and an NFC chip.

Things that won't really make it "stand out" from devices already available in the market.

That's probably why Apple has decided to delay it a bit, while it finishes the new big iOS revamp that should come at the same time: the iOS 5.

Although the iOS has learned a few tricks over the years (multitasking, folders, etc), the fact remains that it's starting to look a bit dated and in dire need for a complete overhaul.
Besides that, users are also requesting a much needed "iTunes in the cloud" solution, that allows them to keep their data "off-device" but easily accessible at any given time.

I'm counting on Apple to make good on that, and the iPhone 5 launch in September would be the perfect opportunity to do it.

Frida Robot by ABB

I never cease to be amazed by what you can accomplish with robotics. Just take a look at this FRIDA concept by ABB.

A robotic system designed to replace a human worker, with 7 degrees of freedom arms, capable of doing whatever a human arm can do - and more.

Unlike traditional 6 DOF robotic arms, the 7th degree gives it the same "natural" ability to maneuver in constraint spaces - that exactly why evolution gave us the arms we have today.

... Now, if only these kind of systems could be bought at an affordable price, so that we could finally have some robot helpers at home taking care of the "boring" stuff... (though in same cases we're doing it already :)

Addonics CF to SSD Adapter

If you have lots of CF/CFast memory cards around your place, and don't know what to do with it, Addonics suggests you might transform up to 6 CF/CFast cards into a SSD.

Altough this might actually sound like a good idea - if you're one such person having lots of unused high capacity, high speed, CF cards laying to waste - in the real world things might be less appealing.

The problem is that these adapter will cost you $135 or $199 depending on the model; and for that price (or little more) you'll be able to get a real SSD which will certainly offer you much better read/write speeds.

Roswell Saucers Confirmed by the FBI?

Looks like the Roswell incident is still well alive and kicking. Thanks to some newly declassified documents that showed up in the FBI vault site, it gives credit to the extra-terrestrial occurrence.

In this new document an FBI agent called Guy Hottel records what an "investigator for the Air Forces" (whose name is blacked out) told him:

Three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico . . . they were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter . . . Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall, dressed in a metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed flyers and test pilots.

[via IO9]

noVNC - HTML5 and Javascript VNC Client

What if you could remotely control your computer via VNC, using nothing but your browser, without relying on any external plugin or component, like Flash or Java?

Thats' exactly what you can do with this noVNC, a VNC client that uses nothing but HTML5 technology (like Canvas and WebSockets), and javascript.

For now, you'll have to use a TCP to Websockets proxy, as none of the current mainstream VNC servers support WebSockets connections, but I guess that will change soon, as the interest in HTML5 grows every day.

Soon... you'll be able to connect to your desktop by simply using a modern browser - and without having to install anything else (many VNC servers allowed web access, but using Java.)

We Need a WiFi Kinect!

This Kinect controlled armchair was used as nothing but a simple proof-of-concept of the upcoming Kinect for Windows SDK that will allow anyone to use it in their projects in a very simple way.

Since the very beginning that I've been telling that the Kinect has a huge potential for home automation, and instead of having pseudo-smart surveillance cameras that serve only for "surveillance", wouldn't it be much better if we could use it to really make our lives easier?
While doing visual analysis is tricky (low light, low contrast situation) and could prove to be more problematic than useful, with the Kinect most of those error prone situations are completely gone.

The only thing that's missing for Kinect to become an even greater success is for Microsoft to launch a Wireless Kinect with WiFi, or even using wired Ethernet - and I can promise you it its use would skyrocket for home automation use.

Showyou Social Video Browser

This Showyou from VodPod might remind you of the amazing Flipboard - and it is certainly counting on that to get noticed - and trying to do the same thing, but focused on video content.

Unfortunately, unlike Flipboard, as soon as you start playing around with it, you can quickly notice it lacks the "polish" to make it truly outstanding. It offers little more than copying the Flipboard look - something you could almost do with Blogger's dynamic views - and goes as far as annoying you to login with your twitter or facebook account before you can even try it out. Even though it has its preselected content "beneath" the annoying popup window.

Unlike Flipboard, I can't really say I'd be willing to use it - but, nothing like trying it out for yourself and see if you get used to it.

Layar 5 gets more Social

Remember Layar, the most popular augmented reality browsing app for iPhone and Android smartphones?

Well, there's a new Layar in town, and it's called "5.0". This latest version adds animation capabilities, allowing layers to be more interactive than ever, and you can easily share any screenshot with your friends via Twitter and Facebook.

If you haven't tried it yet, go get it now in your nearest App Store. And if you're using Symbian... there's a version for you in the works as well.

Glasses-Free 3D on the iPad

It's not the first time we see this system in action (I recall a similar system by Johnny Chung Lee using Wiimotes) but, now it has arrived to the iPad. A clever way to turn your iPad into a virtual 3D window.

Ths system works by using the iPad front facing camera to detect where you are, and adjust the screen image accordingly, in order to create the illusion of a 3D volumetric display.

(There were Apps using a similar approach by using the acelerometers to "tilt" the screen - with this system you can leave the iPad untouched, and just move your head around.)

It's quite effective, as you'll be able to see in the following video.

Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2

If you can't keep away from a physical keyboard, even while typing on the iPad 2, here's something with might be helpful: the Keyboard Case from Logitech.

This high-quality aluminum protection case comes with an integrated bluetooth keyboard, transforming your iPad 2 in a powerful "tablet netbook" in which you can type for as long as you want.
You can even place your iPad in both landscape and portrait orientations according to your needs.

It can be yours for $99.99 which can't even be considered too expensive, considering it's just a bit more over Apple's own leather Smartcover, and not that much over any standard high-quality bluetooth keyboard.

Linux is 20 Years Old

Looks like congratulations are in order: Linux is 20 years old.

Along the years, much has changed since Linus Torvald first released it into the wild in 1991. I imagine no one could ever think Linux would now be all around us, from washing machines to routers to... pretty much any and every "intelligent" electronic device out there.

Now, it is spreading even faster, in the pocket of millions of users of Android smartphones.

Be sure to celebrate any way you can and be sure not to miss the following video. :)

How LCD Screens Work

Although LCD screens were once regarded as expensive luxury items, technology (and time) made it possible for us to buy a large screen LCD TV for a reasonable amount of money.

However, can you tell exactly how an LCD screen is able to create its pictures?

Well, in under 5 minutes, you can learn all there is to known about how LCD works by watching the following LCD monitor teardown, which will reveal all the inner secrets of how an LCD monitor works.

Gmail Finally Allows No New Auto-Contacts

At last, Gmail users will be able to rejoice. If you ever wondered why your contact list is populated with hundreds or thousands of people you've simply emailed some time or another in the past, but have no interest in keeping them as contacts: now you can finally get rid of it!

The Gmail team has done some small "big" fixes, which include not only the new Auto-save contacts setting which will help clean the contacts clutter; but also:

• Better warnings for typos in email addresses,
• Fewer annoying error pop-ups,
• Easier transitions between certain actions
• Keyboard shortcut guide for everyone, (try hitting Shift+? )
• Refresh button (it was a link before)

YouTube Embed inside Share

Looks like Google is cleaning up its YouTube interface even more. Today I was surprised not to see the usual "embed" button in all YouTube videos I watched. It really got me worried - even more when some of my friends reassured me they still could see the usual YouTube embed button in their browsers.

Where could my embed button be?

After a little digging, I finally found the YouTube embed button inside the Share section.

Now, it takes an extra click to get there, but I guess it really makes more sense that way. The embed option is probably used by a minority of the billions of users watching YouTube videos - and indeed it is a "sharing" thing.

All we have to figure out now, is to see if this is being implemented for everyone, or if it's simply a small scale usability test.

[via Aberto até de Madrugada]

Firefox 5 New Features

Although Firefox 4 has just recently arrived, Mozilla's development team is already hard at work in the upcoming Firefox 5.

And it looks like Firefox 5 will have some interesting festures, although some may eventually get pushed back to future versions.
Firefox 5 will have integrated preview visualizers, for things like PDF files and even MP3 audio files, and learn some new tricks: like the ability to select multiple tabs.

More interestingly, it will have an integrated identity management system.

This will allow you to be logged in into your social network sites, like Twitter and Facebook, and even have multiple accounts active at the same time.
I don't know how they'll pull it off, in order to make it "easy to use", but I sincerely hope they succeed (and if it works for multiple Google accounts at the same time... the better!)

(And yes, I know I could use the multiple Google accounts feature right now - but I'd really prefer having my separate Google accounts separate.)

Location History on Android Maps

At last, your Google Latitude location history will be a lot more useful. Until now, your location history could only be seen on the web browser - and I still remember the time you could't even see it.

Now, your Latitude historic data will become instantly available in your Android Google Maps App, allowing you to see how much you've moved around, and how much time you've spent at work, home and... "out".

I still can't understand why Google doesn't integrate all these geolocation services (Latitude, Maps, Places, HotPot, etc) in a single App - it would make much more sense.

And talking about those other apps, you can now have custom aspects to rate places, and you can also check-in at "Home" - to show friends when you've returned safely, ou just to share when you're around so they can come visit.

How to Enable Video Mirroring on the iPad 1

One of the many improvements brought by the iPad 2, is the video mirroring/cloning capability, that allows you to output to screen whatever you you see on your iPad screen. Unfortunately, users soon found out this feature would be left out of the original iPad, supposedly because of hardware limitations.

But now, we find out you can indeed do the same thing, provided you're willing to jailbreak your iPad.

This works with bothe the VGA adaptor and the new HDMI adaptor, and you can find a step by step guide on how to enable video mirroring on the iPad 1 here.

Zeemote Portable Bluetooth Gaming Controller

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get to know a strange small portable gaming device called Zeemote. It's a portable bluetooth gaming controller which makes playing on a touchscreen portable device a lot more appealing.

After all, a lot of gamers still can't grasp how one could ever play platform games on a touchscreen, and now  thanks to this zeemote - they won't have to.
The zeemote name similarity to the wiimote doesn't go as far as giving it motion sense capabilities. But, even so, you get a analog thumb controller and four buttons - enough to handle most gaming needs. (Though I could envision you using two of them for 3D FPS games! :)

Even more interesting, this Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming Controller is available for less than 7£ - which is less that 8€ - a real bargain!
So, if you want to maximize your gaming prowess on your Android tablet or smartphone, don't hesitate to get one of these zeemote bluetooth controllers.

Tracker Free Video Analysis

Ever wished you could track and analyze motion video, similar to what you see on TV when they "dissect" sports with digital overlays? Well, thanks to this amazing and free tool called Tracker you can do that and much more. Not only you can analyze all sorts of motion systems captured on video (like falling objects) and compare it to theoretical models, you can use it for much more than that.

If you have a camera pointed to any street, you can easily figure out how fast each vehicle is moving, or even figure out how fast you can throw/kick a ball. The possibilities are endless.



You can easily find tutorials and examples on YouTube (like this one) but the best part is, you can play around with it and figure it out by yourself. After all, it's a free video analysis tool.
(I only wished I had this sort of stuff when I had physics classes! :)

Dynamic Views for Blogger

After offering us an automatic template for mobile devices Blogger does it again with these truly amazing Dynamic Views for Blogger, which allow any blogger hosted blog to instantly gain a completely new look and style by just tweaking your url a bit, and making it a lot more appropriate for... say... browsing it on a tablet.

There are several different styles which can easily be accesses by adding "view/style" to any blogger blog:

• Flipcard: http://internetbestsecrets.com/view/flipcard
• Mosaic: http://internetbestsecrets.com/view/mosaic
• Sidebar: http://internetbestsecrets.com/view/sidebar
• Snapshot: http://internetbestsecrets.com/view/snapshot
• Timeslide: http://internetbestsecrets.com/view/timeslide

Blogger may have been left untouched for a very long time. But it now seems Google is really committed to making it better than ever. For what is worth... I sincerely appreciate it, as this is truly the blogging platform I've loved since I've first tried it.

Google Cancels Android

Exclusive hot news: Google just announced it will abandon the Android project completely!

The recent widespread hacker attack, targetting the platform, succeeded in infecting and taking control over every single android device in the world, through a previously undetected security flaw, fiving the attackers full control over every Android device and free access to all you private information: from your Google account details and all your emails, to every other service you used through your smartphone (twitter, Faceboo, bank account info, etc.)
Not even a ROM reflash will do you any good, as the vulnerability will make your device immediately compromised again.

The only solution is to remove its battery and go back to using a Symbian Smartphone.

Google stock is now worth basically nothing, and... this is all it takes to take down a giant, in a single day.

Thankfully, tomorrow is an entirely different day... ;)