FocuSoft Tech Blog

GeeksPhone One in the wild, now packing a physical keyboard
Elite Military Hacker Squad Would Stop Wars With Bits, Not Bombs [Cybersecurity]
Numark announces NSFX for NS7 to use with ITCH by DJs. They also run out of capital letters.
Rogers’ Rocket Hub disguises 3G data and voice as mild-mannered home modem
Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, ‘fixes’ iTunes media sync
Optoma’s $199 PK-100 pico projector goes for the bargain crowd
WebOS 1.2.1 Fixes Palm Pre iTunes Syncing, Exchange Breakage [Palm Pre]
CrunchGear Week in Review: Surfer’s Surprise Edition
MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be ‘world’s most powerful gaming notebook’
How would you change Snow Leopard?

GeeksPhone One in the wild, now packing a physical keyboard

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 08:01 AM PDT

Remember the Spanish-borne Android device GeeksPhone One? It was late June when we got our first (and so far only) look at the phone. Of course we’ve been wanting some more time, but apparently Xataka’s beaten us to the punch, and lo and behold, she’s gotten herself a shiny new physical keyboard. The site stresses that the user interface isn’t done and the icons temporary, but does note that the keyboard is comfortable and the total weight and size is apparently comparable to the HTC Dream / Ion / MyTouch 3G. Additionally, our compadres at Engadget Spanish have read that One’s release been pushed back from fall until sometime in January. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye out, but given the bevy of Android options on the horizon, we can’t promise we’ll be waiting.

Read – One in the wild
Read – One delayed until January

Filed under: Cellphones

GeeksPhone One in the wild, now packing a physical keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elite Military Hacker Squad Would Stop Wars With Bits, Not Bombs [Cybersecurity]

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 07:00 AM PDT

Efforts to drag our military’s cybersecurity into the 21st century are well underway, but John Arquilla, professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, wants more: A preemptive international hacker force, which would cripple enemies before they even become a problem.

Existing plans for a new online defense strategy don’t seem particularly bad, except for that first part: defense plans. The professor’s idea is to deploy a much more proactive attack strategy:

[Arquilla would] like the US military’s coders to team up with network specialists abroad to form a global geek squad. Together, they could launch preemptive online strikes to head off real-world battles.

Armies (even guerrilla armies) are so dependent on digital communications these days that a well-placed network hit could hobble their forces. Do these cyberattacks right-and openly-and the belligerents will think twice before starting trouble. Arquilla calls his plan “a nonlethal way to deter lethal conflict.”

The strategy makes the assumption that digital communications are completely vital to enemies big and small, which is generally true, and putting cyberwar directly before more traditional measures like sanctions could have a huge effect: If guerrilla groups can’t organize, they won’t be too effective; if governments can’t use their vital defense networks, they’re basically toothless. Wired’s posted a few scenarios of how this could actually out, and even if they sound a little naive—they do—they’re satisfying cinematic, for whatever that’s worth. [Wired]

Elite Military Hacker Squad Would Stop Wars With Bits, Not Bombs [Cybersecurity]

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Elite Military Hacker Squad Would Stop Wars With Bits, Not Bombs [Cybersecurity]

Numark announces NSFX for NS7 to use with ITCH by DJs. They also run out of capital letters.

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 05:20 AM PDT

nsfx_angle_med

DJs have been using double turntable setups ever since 1947 with Sir Jimmy Savile. Modern setups, however, forgo the vinyl and even CDs. One such computer-performance system is the Numark NS7 Controller for Serato’s ITCH software.
987_product_page_small The NS7 gives DJs the feel of a traditional turntable rig, while functioning as a controller for ITCH. A single USB interface with a computer keeps the rig simple and slightly more “idiot-proof”. But we’re still not at the fun part.

Tomorrow, at the 2009 BPM show in Birmingham, Numark will release the NSFX, a dedicated effects controller for the NS7. This module attaches directly to the NS7 and is completely plug-and-play. DJs can control all of the ITCHs effects systems via USB, without having to go into the software. One of the coolest selling points is all effects automatically sync to the tempo of the track they’re laid on. If I was spinning disks for a living, I would make this module a must-have. A mouse and interface window can’t beat good, solid, hands-on controls. Look for the NSFX at your musical equipment retailers in the last quarter of 2009. (Woah! That’s right now!)
nsfx_w_unit_angle_med

Original post:
Numark announces NSFX for NS7 to use with ITCH by DJs. They also run out of capital letters.

Rogers’ Rocket Hub disguises 3G data and voice as mild-mannered home modem

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 05:10 AM PDT

Good news for Canadians who can’t seem to get a decent internet plan for home. Rogers has unveiled a 3G station for residential use dubbed the Rocket Hub, and with it a number of jet propulsion-related puns that we’ll be taking painstaking measures to avoid. It boasts 7.2Mbps HSPA, WiFi and ethernet out, and voice calls over UMTS. Makes sense since it’s riding an Ericsson W3x core. The Upfront cost of hardware hasn’t been disclosed yet, but plans start at $35 Canadian. Launch date (okay, we couldn’t resist) is sometime later this month.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Rogers’ Rocket Hub disguises 3G data and voice as mild-mannered home modem originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, ‘fixes’ iTunes media sync

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 02:20 AM PDT

The game’s back on. Palm just announced the availability of its 1.2.1 update to WebOS for the Palm Pre and, well, that’s it for the time being. It fixes Exchange mail syncing issues experienced by some users, which is nice, but for everyone else it re-enables media sync with iTunes 9.0.1, with or without the USB-IF’s support. In fact, Palm has signaled its commitment to its rogue approach by improving synchronization with the Photos app to keep the album structure in tact while allowing lower-resolution images to be synced to the Pre. Oh happy day — enjoy it while it lasts Pre owners.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, ‘fixes’ iTunes media sync originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Optoma’s $199 PK-100 pico projector goes for the bargain crowd

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 02:12 AM PDT

You know what’s better than a PK-101? A PK-102. You know what’s not better than a PK-101? A PK-100. Unless, of course, you’re focused solely on price. Quietly announced to hit the lower-end market, the PK-100 is described as a simplified version of its more sophisticated siblings, boasting the same DLP-based engine as well as 11 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately, you’ll only find a single composite video input and a 480 x 320 native resolution, but hey, for an estimated retail price of $199, what else did you really expect?

[Via PicoProjector-Info]

Filed under: Displays

Optoma’s $199 PK-100 pico projector goes for the bargain crowd originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WebOS 1.2.1 Fixes Palm Pre iTunes Syncing, Exchange Breakage [Palm Pre]

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 12:52 AM PDT

dc74453fa1pre121.jpg WebOS 1.2.1 Fixes Palm Pre iTunes Syncing, Exchange Breakage [Palm Pre] When webOS 1.2 didn’t re-fix the syncing compatibility that iTunes 9 re-broke, it almost looked like this bizarre little Apple/Palm standoff had finally just, you know, puttered out. Well, nope, for some reason! Cue webOS 1.2.1.

Palm’s possibly heroic, mostly inconsequential iTunes-molesting theatrics aside, the fix most people were actually waiting for involved an error introduced this week by 1.2, which broke Exchange 2007 EAS syncing for quite a few people. That, along with a few bugfixes, is the main component of 1.2.1, which should be making its way to handsets over the weekend. In other news, paid apps are still totally MIA in the App Catalog. Weird.

Here’s the full 1.2.1 changelog:

Email

* Resolved an issue where after installing the 1.2.0 webOS update some customers running Exchange 2007 could no longer synchronize with their Exchange account for Email, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks.

System

* Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (9.0.1).
* Media sync now synchronizes photo albums, maintaining the album structure in the Photos app.
* Media sync now allows for synchronizing photos without requiring the full-resolution originals. This provides faster display of high-quality full-screen images and enables users to store more photos on the phone.

Web

* Resolved an issue where if a user tried to play streaming music or video, the media stream might drop out or have a long delay before starting.

Security

This release implements several security fixes, including the following:

* Addresses a security issue encountered by webkit developers. This issue did not impact end users.

Individuals interested in contacting Palm to report suspected security issues can find more information at palm.com/security .

[Palm]

CrunchGear Week in Review: Surfer’s Surprise Edition

Posted: 03 Oct 2009 12:00 AM PDT

3360edb6a5885.jpg CrunchGear Week in Review: Surfer's Surprise Edition

Here are some stories you might have missed this week.

LED lightbulb puts out equivalent of 60 watt bulb, uses only 6 watts
Oh yes you can bike to the beach with your surfboard
Mighty Mouse 2: Apple planning to upgrade its ill-fated mouse?
Apple's new marketing campaign targets toddlers, kindergarteners
New device brings wireless Internet to boats

Continued here:
CrunchGear Week in Review: Surfer's Surprise Edition

MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be ‘world’s most powerful gaming notebook’

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 11:41 PM PDT

Man, Core i7 laptops just keep coming and coming (kinda like Arnold). The latest in what’s sure to be a torrent of companies upgrading their premier products to Intel’s finest quad-core battery killer is MSI, with the GT640. Though MSI hasn’t yet specified which of the trifecta of Clarksfield chips it has inside the machine, we do know there’s a 1GB NVIDIA Geforce GTS 250 taking care of graphics, as well as options for up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, half a terabyte of storage and a Blu-ray burner. Other notables include a two megapixel webcam, HDMI, 7.1 channel audio output and an eSATA input. While we don’t yet know the wallet damage for that red-striped aluminum alloy body, its Windows 7 installation would indicate a release some time around, oh, October 22 perhaps? One more shot of the keyboard and screen after the break.

[Via Laptoping]

Update: The German announcement for this machine has been more forthcoming with the details. There’s a 1680 x 1050 resolution, 4,800mAh battery and a two-year warranty among the things we didn’t know about before, and the most important thing, the CPU model, is now revealed as a 1.6GHz Core i7 720QM. [Thanks, Johannes]

Continue reading MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be ‘world’s most powerful gaming notebook’

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be ‘world’s most powerful gaming notebook’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change Snow Leopard?

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 09:39 PM PDT

Ah, Snow Leopard. It’s the same cat you’re used to caressing (or beating, as the case may be), but in a much, much colder climate. Or something like that. OS X 10.6 promised Leopard users a “refined” experience, and one that would only cost upgrading users $29. At that price, most Apple fanatics figured that picking it up on launch day was a no-brainer, but as we’ve come to sadly expect from Cupertino’s software labs these days, all wasn’t perfectly well with the big snowy cat. Even now, users are still kvetching about broken functionality and mental pains that are literally indescribable. Even if you’re not in that camp, we’re eager to hear how your Snow Leopard experience has been. Are you satisfied with the upgrade? Will you never, ever install an Apple update again before a million others try it first? Are you already looking forward to ~~10.7~~ Windows 7? Tell all in comments below — you never know who could be tuning in.

Filed under: Software

How would you change Snow Leopard? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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