Paypal Here Mobile Payment Device

Paypal Here Mobile Payment Device

 

Paypal Here Mobile Payment Device

PayPal today announced PayPal Here, the world’s first global mobile payments solution that allows small businesses to accept almost any form of payment. The new service includes a free app and fully encrypted thumb-sized card reader, which turns any iPhone, and soon Android smartphone, into a mobile payment solution. With PayPal Here, small businesses, service providers and casual sellers can send invoices or accept debit and credit cards, checks and PayPal using one simple product. The updated PayPal app for iPhone is available in the iOS App Store globally starting today.


SOPA dead. For the time being.

Contributor: John Gaudiosi.

Via Forbes.com

The growing anti-SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) support that has swept through the gaming and Internet community found a very big ally today. With websites like Reddit and Wikipedia and gaming organizations like Major League Gaming prepared for a blackout on January 18th – the same day that the House Judiciary Committee hearing on HR 3261was scheduled in Washington, DC – President Barack Obama has stepped in and said he would not support the bill. SOPA has been killed, for now.

Much to the chagrin of Hollywood, the Entertainment Software Association (which has been a backer of the bill from early on), and Internet domain company GoDaddy.com (which lost many accounts as a result of its support for the bill); SOPA has been shelved. The Motion Picture Association of America, one of the bill’s largest sponsors, is expected to regroup.

California congressman Darrell Issa, who has been opposed to the bill from the beginning, praised the Internet action that has swept like a virus across the Web the past week.

“The voice of the Internet community has been heard,” said Issa. “Much more education for members of Congress about the workings of the Internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal.”

But there remains another similar bill, Protect IP (the Enforcing and Protecting American Rights Against Sites Intent on Theft and Exploitation Act), that poses a problem for gamers and Internet users. This legislation is scheduled to go before the Senate on January 24th.

Both SOPA and Protect IP attempt to combat online piracy by preventing American search engines like Google and Yahoo from directing users to sites distributing stolen content. Both bills also would enable people and companies to sue if their copyright was infringed. Obama has come out against both bills, which killed SOPA and puts pressure on senators come January 24th. The full White House response can be read here.

“Any provision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing,” said The White House. “We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy.”

Just like piracy itself, this debate isn’t over. Expect more bills to move forward, although the wording in future legislation is expected to be more narrowly focused in an attempt to appease the current administration. But given the current economic climate and the upcoming Presidential election, there could be a different administration entering The White House soon, changing the landscape for these types of bills.

 

Reelection isn’t far away. But yea, SOPA or the like can be reintroduced.

phil@gadgetables.com


Apple I Motherboard from 1976 sells for $374,500 at Sotheby’s Auction

Apple I Motherboard from 1976 sells for $374,500

On June 16 2012 an Apple I Motherboard from 1976 sold for $374,500 at Sotheby’s Auction. Sotheby’s was hoping to get between $120,000 and $180,000 for the extremely rare item. The motherboard was one of around one hundred fifty made, one of around fifty to known to currently exist and one of six in working condition.

Although the buyer still needs a keyboard, monitor, case, and power supply to make it work; the original user manuals and some marketing materials are included.

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Sharp Neon Genesis Evangelion SH-06D Android Phone

Sharp Neon Genesis Evangelion SH-06D Android Phone

Neon Genesis Evangelion will love this phone, Sharp Neon Genesis Evangelion SH-06D Android Phone. Only be 10,000 of the phones available, but they will only be sold in Japan. It features a heavily customized case, hardware buttons and 3D Android 2.3 skin designed to reflect its heritage. Pre-orders start today, and the phone officially goes on sale June 29.
The Sharp Neon Genesis Evangelion SH-06D Android Phone will be priced at around ¥25,000-¥30,000 JPY (approximately $315-$377 USD).
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Apple WordPress App Sends Photos to WordPress Instantly

“If you’re passionate about posting great photos on your blog, you might just fall in love with this new feature. If you have Camera+ 3.0 on your phone (and WordPress for iOS 2.9.5 or higher), you’ll be able to quickly post photos using the Camera+ app! Simply launch the WordPress app, and tap the Photo button.

Posting a photo from the Camera+ Lightbox is dead easy. Tap “Add Photo from Camera+,” and your phone switches to the Camera+ app – select a photo to load it into the WordPress app. Add a Title and a Description (both optional), and boom! You’re done.

Using Camera+ to snap your photo is just as easy. Tap “Take Photo with Camera+” to switch to the Camera+ app’s camera. Make a “meow” sound to locate your cat, add effects, borders, and crop your photo. When you’re done, just press “Use” and your photo is imported into the WordPress app where you can add details if you want.

What’s Next

As more camera apps open up their features for other apps, we’ll look into making more options available. Camera+ was the first to open their app up for integrations, but hopefully more will follow.

For now, the Camera+ options are only available for the Photo button on iPhone, but we’re hoping to add it to the Post Editor very soon as well. If you don’t have Camera+ on your phone, the options simply won’t be shown. Be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter to get the latest news first.”
– http://ios.wordpress.org/2012/03/15/camera-plus/

 

WordPress announced Thursday that the latest version of WordPress for iOS and Camera+ app will allow bloggers to post images from their photo library straight to their blogs without a third party application or waiting to post on the computer.
The news is great for a variety of bloggers whose daily lives play an integral role on their blogs, whether the focus is on street culture, food, or fashion. With the update, bloggers can post their photo essays like they could with Instagram on Twitter, but take the time to add more than just 140 characters to describe their pictures.

Mobile photography is easily becoming a great resource for bloggers because they no longer need to lug around bulky DSLR cameras or even the already portable point-and-shoots. If you own an iPhone, chances are you might also have Camera+, one of Apple’s top 10 bestselling apps of all time worldwide. The app recently reached its 7 millionth download, making Camera+ the most popular paid photo app to date despite Instagram being free.

“Posting a photo from the Camera+ Lightbox is dead easy,” WordPress said on its official blog. “Tap ‘Add Photo from Camera+,’ and your phone switches to the Camera+ app – select a photo to load it into the WordPress app. Add a Title and a Description (both optional), and boom! You’re done.” Users can also take photos from their Camera+ app and select to use the photo on WordPress, so order doesn’t really matter.

Other updates to Camera+ 3.0 include new app icon, focus and exposure locks, multiple photo library import, improved MSM sharing and web links, and new VolumeSnap settings for those who prefer to use their volume up button as the shutter like a traditional camera. Users can also send Camera+ photos to more than just WordPress, but also Tweetbot, Twitterific, and Foodspotting.

The ability to post photos on the go is a large trend in micro-blogging as bloggers continue to scavenge their city for interesting takes on what they see in their daily lives, or hidden gems that could only be described by photos. Camera+ also stated on their official blog that it hopes the integration will encourage other photography apps to follow suit. At the moment, the mobile app for Tumblr lets users upload photo from their library as well, but not as directly from another photography app integration.

Now that the camera specifications on the iPhone 4S and the new iPad are more improved than ever, edited pictures from Camera+ might even rival the quality of an actual handheld digital camera. Photos from the iPhone 4 currently dominate as the most popular photography platform of choice on Flickr, leading just above the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the declining Nikon D90, so it won’t be surprising if camera phones take over traditional photography by the year’s end.


Fishfinder for your iOS and Android Devices by Friday Lab

The Deeper | Smart Fishfinder for iOS and Android devices

The Deeper | Smart Fishfinder for iOS and Android devices-
Just when you thought your iPhone casn do everythiung, Friday Lab brings us the Deeper | Smart Fishfinder. The fishfinder is suppored bu smartphones and tablets supporting Android 2.2+ and iOS 4.0+, works in the depths from 0.5m to 40m. The device connects via bluetooth can be charged using a conventional Micro USB cable. You will be the coolest guy on the lake with this fish finder!

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Casio G-Shock GW-A1000

Casio G-Shock GW-A1000

The new Casio G-Shock GW-A1000 is the most cockpit-ready watch within the crowded G-Shock aviation series. But the watch is also one of the most capable and practical models. This solar-powered, multi-band atomoc watch is the first G-shock built with “Smart Access” — an electronic crown switch and five-motor drive which powers the chronograph, hour, minute, and seconds hands independently. By interacting with the crown switch, the wearer can quickly and easily switch between home and world times, or instantly display the current UTC time. G-Shock’s legendary shock resistance also gets an update, with the GW-A1000′s Triple G Resist technology. The casing around the the watch module is essentially floating in a synthetic gel, which provides added resistance against vibration, shock, and centrifugal force. Casio has yet to release a price point for the GW-A1000, but we can expect it to be upwards of the $280 asked for the GW-3000 series watches.

 


OldChromeRemover – Remove Obsolete Google Chrome Versions.

“OldChromeRemover is a simple console program that checks for any redundant versions of Google Chrome left behind by the updater. It will quickly remove all except the newest version when prompted by the user, allowing you to free up valuable disk space. OldChromeRemover also supports Chrome ‘Canary’ builds.”

Shane Gowland.

Via http://shanegowland.com/software/2012/oldchromeremover-module/

 

App. did what it claim to do, but still have not seen any dramatic changes to HD space regarding Chrome, YMMV.

phil@gadgetables.com


Foxconn Resolves Pay Dispute With Workers.

Via nytimes.com – Image: wikipedia.org

Contrinutor: DAVID BARBOZA.

SHANGHAI — Foxconn Technology, the largest contract electronics manufacturer in the world, said Thursday that it had resolved a pay dispute with scores of workers at one of its factories in central China, following a large protest that involved threats by some workers to commit suicide by leaping from the top of a factory building.

Enlarge This Image

The company, a major supplier of products to Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and other electronics giants, said the dispute last week had been resolved successfully and peacefully but that 45 workers had resigned.

In a statement released Thursday, Foxconn said most of the protesting workers had agreed to return to work after negotiations were held with the company and local government officials. But details of the agreement were not released. One of the workers said they had been promised additional compensation.

Foxconn said the protest had involved about 150 of the 32,000 employees at its campus in the city of Wuhan. It was the latest in a long-running series of labor troubles to befall the company, which supplies popular goods like the Apple iPhone, the Amazon Kindle and the Microsoft Xbox.

In 2010, Foxconn was hit by a wave of suicides by distraught workers at several of its Chinese sites. The company, which is controlled by Hon Hai Hai Precision Industry of Taiwan, has been accused of forcing workers to endure long hours and harsh working conditions for little pay.

Under pressure from Apple and other major brands, Foxconn has pledged to improve working conditions in China, and the company has even hired psychiatrists to counsel workers. The company has also embarked on a huge program to invest in robots and to move some of its production to central and western parts of China, where labor is less costly and more abundant. The company says the new campuses also allow migrant workers to live closer to their hometowns.

But while working conditions at Foxconn and other exporters in China may be slowly improving, the demands of workers seem to be rising faster.

There has been a rash of strikes and labor protests throughout the nation in recent months, partly in response to inflation and a greater awareness of the labor laws. The strikes, which sometimes involve thousands of workers, often include demands for higher pay, insurance and better working conditions.

In Wuhan, some of the workers who protested said they were angry about being forced to move from Foxconn’s biggest campus, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, to Wuhan.

One worker who participated in the Wuhan protest said by telephone that workers shifted to Wuhan had been promised about $450 a month in salary, including overtime pay, but that they had been given about a third less than that and that working conditions in Wuhan were much more difficult.

The worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of being punished by Foxconn, said more than 100 workers had decided to protest on the roof of a three-story building on the campus. The protest lasted more than eight hours.

Several threatened to commit suicide if their demands were not met, he said.

“That day was very cold,” he said. “Some women could not stand the freezing temperatures and fainted.”

In a statement released Thursday, Foxconn said: “The welfare of our employees is our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and that their rights are fully protected.”

 

phil@gadgetables.com


$59 Chinese Tablet Runs Android 4.0

HongYuXing tablet

If you’re lucky enough to live in China, then you would have access to this Android Powered Tablet by HongYuXing. Not the most powerful tablet out there, but well worth it consideringthe price.

“One of the perks of living in China is that you will get access to a ton of extremely cheap gadgets, some of them with specs that aren’t too bad either. Well if you are living in China at the moment, or if you know a way to import devices from China, you might be interested in taking a look at this Android tablet released by Chinese company, HongYuXing, a tablet which not only runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but costs an extremely affordable $59.

As far as its specs are concerned, the tablet will be powered by an Allwinner A10 processor based on the Cortex A8 core with Mali400 GPU and 2160P video decoding capabilities. It will sport a 7” 800×480 touch screen display, a G sensor, support for Flash and will run on Android 4.0 with a front-facing camera. Not exactly the most powerful tablet we’ve seen, but for those looking for an Android 4.0 experience for under $100, this could be what you’re looking for. Now if only we could see more of these affordable devices make its way stateside.”

Source: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/03/hongyuxing-android-4-0-tablet-is-an-affordable-59-in-china/