Google Chrome changes its logo... again! (pictures)

Esteemed bleeding-edge browser downloaders, we are saddened to announce that Chrome's bulbous, off-center and slightly 90s-looking logo is back.

The change occurred yesterday, when the Chrome Dev channel was moved from version 11 to version 12. We're not yet sure whether this is simply a mistake, or an actual reversion to the previous logo. We're seeing the change on both Windows and Mac builds of Chrome, incidentally.

The odd thing is, it was only four days ago that the Google Chrome team published its rationale for the previous logo change. It sounds like they put a lot of effort into the new logo, too! If the logo has actually been reverted, it's possible that the new logo was merely a beta test -- Google may have guaged populist opinion and found that people preferred the orb.

Which logo do you prefer? You can see some before-and-after(-and-before) shots of the Chrome logo after the break.

[thanks to Matthew for the tip!]

Continue reading Google Chrome changes its logo... again! (pictures)

Google Chrome changes its logo... again! (pictures) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/chrome-changes-its-logo-again-pictures/

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Xperia Play meets shipping delays in UK, Vodafone and Three bump launch to next week

Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play isn't having the best of starts in the world, having been delayed by UK carrier O2 due to "software issues," and it's now missing its targeted launch date of April 1st with two more of the local operators, Vodafone and Three. Both have today announced that, due to shipping issues, they won't be able to meet tomorrow's launch date -- leaving only Orange on track to release it on time. T-Mobile, Orange's partner in Everything Everywhere, says it'll have the Xperia Play in "mid-April." Still, the wait isn't that much longer as Three hopes to sell you a Play "early next week" and Vodafone, a bit more cautiously, is shooting for availability "as soon as possible."

Xperia Play meets shipping delays in UK, Vodafone and Three bump launch to next week originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/31/xperia-play-meets-shipping-delays-in-uk-vodafone-and-three-bump/

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Deal of the Day ? HP Pavilion dm1 11.6? Ultraportable Dual-Core AMD Fusion Laptop with Free Upgrades

Today?s LogicBUY deal offers 27% savings on the HP Pavilion dm1z ultraportable laptop.� Features include: 11.6? 720p LED screen, AMD Fusion platform, Radeon HD 6310M discrete graphics, Wireless-N, webcam, and more.� Options include: up to 8GB RAM, external Blu-ray drive, WWAN, 128GB SSD, and more.� Free upgrades include: 3GB memory, 320GB 7200rpm hard drive, 50% [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/03/29/deal-of-the-day-%e2%80%93-hp-pavilion-dm1-11-6%e2%80%9d-ultraportable-dual-core-amd-fusion-laptop-with-free-upgrades/

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Israel gets its first EV battery swap station, makes charging stations obsolete

Don't get us wrong, we think electric vehicles are totally rad and all, but there's still the whole recharging thing that makes us a little wary. That's why we're stoked to hear that Better Place's first battery swap station for EVs (and not just special Japanese cabbies) has officially opened its doors in Israel... for owners of the Renault Fluence Z.E. All it takes is an RFID card to enter the carwash-esque structure, and robots from below swap out your empty battery for a fully charged alternative while you occupy yourself for three minutes. No word on how much it'll cost for the opportunity, but we've got an inkling it won't be cheap. Fortunately, we've got apps and "get you home" guarantees for that additional peace of mind, but we do hope the concept eventually makes its way over to our shores. Of course, we're also still waiting for eternal battery life in all of our electronics, but until that day comes invisible robots changing batteries for us will suffice.

Israel gets its first EV battery swap station, makes charging stations obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/31/israel-gets-its-first-ev-battery-swap-station-makes-charging-st/

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AutomateIt is a light-weight and free Tasker clone for Android

AutomateIt, as the name so handily implies, is an automation app for Android. The basic premise is that you have events, such as receiving an SMS or a certain time of day, which are triggers. These triggers then fire off one or more actions, which can start applications, set your phone's volume, and so on.

AutomateIt is, basically, a free version of Tasker, but with a much-reduced set of triggers and actions. For all but the most advanced users, however, AutomateIt will be just fine. There are triggers for various battery levels (you might want to shut off Wi-Fi only when you get below 25% battery), or you can have it track your location with GPS and start an application when you leave your home/office.

To download AutomateIt, and to see complete list of triggers and actions, head over to AutomateIt on the Android Market. There's a QR code after the break.

Continue reading AutomateIt is a light-weight and free Tasker clone for Android

AutomateIt is a light-weight and free Tasker clone for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/21/automateit-is-a-light-weight-and-free-tasker-clone-for-android/

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Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

If you've had your head under a rock for the last few days, here's this week's Firefox news in brief: Firefox 4 was finally released.

Yes, 13 months after the initial release of Firefox 3.7 alpha 1 and four more alpha builds, a renumbering to 4.0 and 12 beta releases, and finally a release candidate (or two), Firefox 4 has been released into the wild.

Just like every other Firefox release, initial reception for the new browser has been nothing short of insane. 7.1 million downloads were registered in the first 24 hours and the download rate continued to accelerate, clocking in more than 15 million downloads after two days. At the time of writing, three days in, Firefox 4 has been downloaded over 25 million times. In case you're wondering, the United States accounts for 7 million of those downloads, just beating out Germany's Firefox-downloads-per-capita.

But now that you've installed Firefox 4 (you have, right?), what do you do now? Well, obviously, in true Download Squad fashion, it's time to tweak Firefox 4 using add-ons and about:config hacks!

First up is an add-on called Stratiform that lets you change every aspect of the Firefox 4 browser chrome -- including the color of that orange button!

Continue reading Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/firefox-4-friday-25-million-downloads-anti-aliasing-and-how-t/

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Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: nope)

We'll start by saying that we've reached out to Samsung for a response here, but as of now, no reply has been given -- neither a confirmation nor a refusal of truth. Why bother mentioning that? If this here story proves true, Sammy could have a serious problem on its hands -- a problem that'll definitely start with a rash of negative PR, and a quandary that could very well end the outfit up in the courtroom. According to a report by Mohamed Hassan over at Network World, Samsung allegedly took the initiative to install a keylogger into his recently purchased R525 and R540 laptops. The app was noticed right away after a security scan on both systems, with StarLogger popping up with the c:\windows\SL directory. Where things really get strange is on the support line; reportedly, a supervisor informed Mr. Hassan (after an earlier denial) that the company did indeed install the software at the factory in order to "monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used." Unfortunately, it's difficult to say if this is a widespread issue, or if the tale is entirely correct, but we get the feeling that Samsung will have little choice but to respond in some form or fashion here shortly. Naturally, we'll keep you abreast of the situation -- meanwhile, you may want to reconsider that hate-filled comment you're about to bang out on your Samsung laptop, and instead, feast your eyes on the video just past the break.

Update: Kudos to Samsung for hitting this head-on. An hour after we inquired for comment, a company spokesperson tossed over this official quote: "Samsung takes Mr. Hassan's claims very seriously. After learning of the original post this morning on NetworkWorld.com, we launched an internal investigation into this issue. We will provide further information as soon as it is available."

Update 2: Samsung's official Korean language blog, Samsung Tomorrow, has a posted an update calling the findings false. According to Samsung, the confusion arose when the VIPRE security software mistakenly identified Microsoft's Slovene language folder ("SL") as Starlogger, which Sammy was able to recreate from an empty c:\windows\SL folder (see image above). So yeah, move along, it's much ado about nothing -- the R525 and R540 laptops are perfectly safe.

Continue reading Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: nope)

Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: nope) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Network World (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/samsung-reportedly-installing-keylogger-software-on-r525-privac/

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Summify Gives You 5 Articles to Read a Day Based on Your Internet Reading Habits [Video]

Reading is easy! But finding good stuff to read isn't, you have to cut through all the webby fat to get an interesting article. Summify combs your your Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader habits (it peaks at data and analyzes your social networks) and sends an e-mail with 5 articles to read per day. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/g4xzNnp6hXg/summify-gives-you-5-articles-to-read-a-day-based-on-your-internet-habits

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Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: official response)

We'll start by saying that we've reached out to Samsung for a response here, but as of now, no reply has been given -- neither a confirmation nor a refusal of truth. Why bother mentioning that? If this here story proves true, Sammy could have a serious problem on its hands -- a problem that'll definitely start with a rash of negative PR, and a quandary that could very well end the outfit up in the courtroom. According to a report by Mohamed Hassan over at Network World, Samsung allegedly took the initiative to install a keylogger into his recently purchased R525 and R540 laptops. The app was noticed right away after a security scan on both systems, with StarLogger popping up with the c:\windows\SL directory. Where things really get strange is on the support line; reportedly, a supervisor informed Mr. Hassan (after an earlier denial) that the company did indeed install the software at the factory in order to "monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used." Unfortunately, it's difficult to say if this is a widespread issue, or if the tale is entirely correct, but we get the feeling that Samsung will have little choice but to respond in some form or fashion here shortly. Naturally, we'll keep you abreast of the situation -- meanwhile, you may want to reconsider that hate-filled comment you're about to bang out on your Samsung laptop, and instead, feast your eyes on the video just past the break.

Update: Kudos to Samsung for hitting this head-on. An hour after we inquired for comment, a company spokesperson tossed over this official quote: "Samsung takes Mr. Hassan's claims very seriously. After learning of the original post this morning on NetworkWorld.com, we launched an internal investigation into this issue. We will provide further information as soon as it is available."

Continue reading Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: official response)

Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: official response) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Network World (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/seeXI_6GW-g/

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iPad Smart Bezel by Apple Revealed

Once again Apple wows us with new and highly sophisticated innovations, this time with Smart Bezel. This new patented technology could really change and improve the way we use the iPad. So you’re probably asking “What is Smart Bezel and why is it so special?”. Well for starters, if this new technology is integrated, with [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/tJOTGudfgto/

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Are you concerned about your headphone jack?

Yeah, me neither… But I’m sure that some of you out there are worried about dust, dirt or liquids invading the headphone jack of your phone or other device. The iCatchi is $6.95 accessory that plugs into the jack when you don’t have your headphones plugged in. It protects the jack from all sorts of [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/03/28/are-you-concerned-about-your-headphone-jack/

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NoDo Windows Phone 7 update hits the Venue Pro, Dell update to follow

Well, it looks like Venue Pro owners will be getting not one but two software updates in the near future. Dell has just confirmed that the much-anticipated NoDo Windows Phone 7 update has begun rolling out to devices today, and also announced that a separate update of its own will be "coming later." NoDo, of course, adds copy and paste functionality among some other updates and tweaks, while the Dell update is only said to have "more fixes." Feel free to let us know how the update works out for you in comments.

NoDo Windows Phone 7 update hits the Venue Pro, Dell update to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/nodo-windows-phone-7-update-hits-the-venue-pro-dell-update-to-f/

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Gemalto's New MasterCard PayPass SIM Will Let You Use Your Dumbphone to Make NFC Payments [Blip]

Soon digital security firm Gemalto's new MasterCard PayPass SIM card will make NFC payments possible on all GSM phones—whether smart or dumb. It means that you'll be able to use the SIM to manage and make mobile payments and—if it's successful—the SIM could bring the first mass commercial rollout of NFC payments across the world. And this is awesome, because it means we're another step closer to a wallet-less future. [Gemalto via Engadget] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J3Qdvd32Rog/gemaltos-new-mastercard-paypass-sim-will-let-you-use-your-dumbphone-to-make-nfc-payments

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Indulge Your Desire for Precision With the OCD Cutting Board [Desired]

Like perfectly-sized portions? Want to cut your sandwich at a perfect 45 degree angle? Need to know how to julienne? Allumette? Dice? Slice? The OCD cutting board provides a highly-scientific way to break your food apart. [The Awesomer via CrunchGear] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/c4EXZHeiPMs/indulge-your-precision-neurosis-with-the-ocd-cutting-board

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Amazon Appstore for Android hands-on review: Android Market is in trouble

Earlier today Amazon released its long-awaited Appstore for Android. Fundamentally it's very similar to Google's first-party Android Market or the third-party AppBrain, but it has a few Amazonian differences that could set it apart from the competition very quickly.

First and foremost, Amazon is promising to give away one paid app for free every day. Today it's Angry Birds Rio, and it only retails for 99 cents, but that doesn't really matter: people love free stuff. People will download stuff simply because it's free, even if they don't want it! The best bit (or worst bit) is that developers still get 20% of the usual retail price, which will be paid out of Amazon's pockets.

The next defining feature is Amazon Appstore exclusives. Angry Birds Rio, CoD:MW:Force Recon and other apps will be available only from Amazon. As we know from the console wars, exclusive titles aren't always a good thing, but who cares? Amazon simply wants unique selling points, and exclusive titles are definitely that.

It's not all good, though. We ran in to some rather serious bugs while playing around with the Amazon Appstore for Android app, and then there's the matter of having to enable installation from Unknown Sources before it will even install...

Gallery: Amazon Appstore for Android

Continue reading Amazon Appstore for Android hands-on review: Android Market is in trouble

Amazon Appstore for Android hands-on review: Android Market is in trouble originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/22/amazon-appstore-for-android-hands-on-review-android-market-in-trouble/

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