IBLOG SPACE

The Facebook Deals program didn’t work out too well for the giant social network, but it looks like their bug hunt program is working out really well. Facebook is running a program that will pay security researchers and other folks that find bugs or flaws in the security of the social network and report them. The money paid out depends on the severity of the flaw found. The payout runs from $500 for a minor bug up to $5,000 for a severe security issue. One researcher has apparently already racked up $7,000 in bounties for finding six different bugs in Facebook security. The program has been running for 21 days now and already Facebook has paid out $40,000 according to reports. That is a lot of bugs in security that have already been nailed by security pros. The goal of the program is to make the code of the social network more secure and less prone to hacking by malicious types looking to exploit the wealth of information on users hidden inside. Facebook isn’t alone in running a progra

Sony has waded into the head-mounted display segment, launching a futuristic headset packing a pair of 1280 x 720 OLED panels capable of 3D graphics. The Sony HMZ-T1 has an HDMI input and is intended to work not only with Blu-ray media but PCs, games consoles like the PS3, content recorded using Sony’s 3D-capable camcorders and cameras, and more, offering the equivalent of a 750-inch screen viewed from 20m away. There’s also 5.1-channel virtual surround sound, and Sony says its clever 45-degree optical lens technology means there’s practically zero 3D crosstalk. The broad viewing area is actually wider than most peoples’ actual field of vision, which makes for a more immersive experience. As well as the HMDI input there’s an HDMI pass-through output so you can hook up either a second headset or a regular display. Don’t get any clever ideas about portable use, however, since the processor unit is a 180mm x 36mm x 168mm box you’ll need to find room on your A/V rack for. Pricing is expect

We have Samsung’s Vice President of Consumer & Enterprise Services Gavin Kim to thank for the full rundown of the Samsung Galaxy S II’s full new features rundown, all of it presented by him on his very own Galaxy S II device through its MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) port made capable of sending out a mirrored-display through a normal, everyday HDMI cable. You may remember the same functionality from the Infuse 4G, a device which was in many ways the herald of the Samsung Galaxy S II as it’s officially announced today. What Kim has for us on stage in NYC at the GSII big reveal event is a look at everything you should expect from the three announced devices today as they compare to the original GSII released a few months ago internationally. Kim lets us know that the Galaxy S II series in the USA will indeed be running the newest version of Samsung TouchWiz UI, this, for those of you that don’t know, is a set of enhancements Samsung has added on top of Android so that their devic

The second of three declared versions of the internationally popular Samsung dual-core Android device, theGalaxy S II from AT&T, is set to be the only one of three to have the original 4.3-inch display. Now why, you might ask, would they do such a thing? I think the answer may be staring you right in the face with its own fantastically cute face: that’s my daughter under the puzzle piece lockscreen of the AT&T Infuse 4G, a device not unlike the Galaxy S II that came out quite a few weeks ago with the same 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display you’re now seeing on the WiMAX and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy S II. What AT&T has done here is to give you a choice of devices, both of them with Super AMOLED Plus displays, but one with a larger display and a smaller processor, the other with a smaller display and a larger processor. Choices! It is truly the first world problem of our generation – which device will you choose? Do you have the need for the largest most brightest disp

This Tuesday on a rather sunny post-hurricane NYC afternoon, Samsung announced their newest version of the top-selling Android smartphone, in this iteration called the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. We’ve seen just a little bit of this device in the past, it having had a tiny outing earlier today, press shots, and a family outinghaving taken place last week. What makes this new device unique compared to the original version is a handful of new features, the most obvious of these being the larger 4.52-inch display. This device is the first of several Samsung Galaxy S II based devices to be released here in the United States, this WiMAX version sporting a collection of carrier-based apps alongside what Samsung has revealed as a brand new twist on their TouchWiz interface. Another spec you may recognize from the original version of the Galaxy S II is the 1.2GHz dual-core processor under the hood – this combined with the gigantic 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display we’ve seen in action

The most mysterious of the three Samsung Galaxy S II models we’ve seen today is the T-Mobile version. The reason for this is the fact that because this version of the handset is set to be the last released here in the states (that we know of so far), it’s not quite ready for a full showing. Therefor what we know about this device is essentially just the bare minimum: Exynos 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, extra rounded edges, and a unique T-Mobile experience alongside Samsung’s newest vision for TouchWiz. I’m sure we’ll be just thrilled as pie once we get to see it in action, but for now we’ve got to stay behind a plastic box. But we’ve got video anyway! Everyone loves a good plastic box row, and that’s exactly what T-Mobile had at the event today. A whole lovely row of boxes, each of them with their own Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile inside, each of them with what would appear, at least on the surface, to be a full T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II TouchW

So the WiMAX version of the Samsung Galaxy S II was outed earlier by a slide on one of Samsung’s product pages, but now the details are confirmed. Unlike the T-Mobile and AT&T versions, this one will tack on “Epic 4G Touch” to the original Samsung Galaxy S II moniker. It will also be the first of the three to become available, launching on September 16. The Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch will feature a larger screen of 4.52-inches instead of the original 4.3-inch size. It will have a Super AMOLED Plus display with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus, LED flash, and capable of 1080p HD video capture. The handset will run Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will come with several apps unique to the Now Network carrier. It can also function as a 3G/4G mobile hotspot for up to eight devices. Priced at $199.99 with a 2-year contract, the handset will be available soon for pre-

AT&T has confirmed its version of the Samsung Galaxy S II as the big US debut is underway at a press event in NYC. Instead of rebranding the device as the “Attain” as previously rumored, AT&T will simply keep it as the Samsung Galaxy S II. But unlike the other variants for the WiMAX network and for T-Mobile, AT&T’s version will not get the screen size boost up to 4.5-inches. The AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II will feature the original 4.3-inch sized Super AMOLED Plus display probably because it already has a super-sized Samsung Infuse 4G at the 4.5-inch size. But, the AT&T Galaxy S II will be slightly thicker than the original at 8.89mm. It will sport a 1.2GHz Exynos dual-core processor, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and LED flash, capable of 1080p HD video capture. It will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will support AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network. It is set to launch on September 18, but no specific pricing infor

T-Mobile has just confirmed that it will be offering the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone on its 4G network. The device is about to be unveiled at the Samsung event in NYC that will mark the big US debut of the popular handset on three of the four major US carriers. We’re covering the event live, so be sure to keep it here on SlashGear for all the details. The only major US carrier to be without the Samsung Galaxy S II is Verizon, which may have passed on the handset for an exclusive on Google’s next flagship phone. Of the three carriers, each are said to get a unique variation. The WiMAX variant has already been confirmed earlier as the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. And now T-Mobile has confirmed its own version, which will thankfully keep its original moniker of just simply the Galaxy S II. The exact details on what the T-Mobile variant will offer have yet to be revealed. But those details are coming soon. The event is unfolding as we type here, so we’ll update as we ge

Ford is announcing its EVOS Concept vehicle at IFA 2011. The announcement comes ahead of the official global debut to take place at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The concept embodies Ford’s new global design language and explores future vehicle and powertrain technologies, especially considering the benefits of cloud connectivity. “The Ford Evos Concept unites three key elements which are at the core of our One Ford global product strategy: outstanding design, smart technologies and fuel economy leadership,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development Connectiviy is of course a major area of focus with Ford aiming to create a more seamless lifestyle between the home, office, and car. However, Kuzak says that the idea is not to transform a vehicle into a smartphone. Instead, it is to provide a personalized and safe connection to the outside world in a manner that’s specifically designed for the vehicle context.

Mozilla is finally going to launch its popular Firefox web browser on the Android Honeycomb platform. Although Firefox has been available to Android, it has thus far only supported phones and not tablets. This new Firefox for Honeycomb will be an evolution of the phone version with added features that take advantage of the larger screen size. Firefox on Honeycomb will take on the tablet platform’s minimalist design theme but will keep familiar visual elements of Firefox in place. The Awesomebar will use the same tabbed menu for quick access to bookmarks and history but will have the tabs moved to the left to give more space to results. Tabs have also been tweaked so that screen space is optimized in both landscape and portrait orientations. In landscape mode, tabs will appear in a persistent left sidebar for easy quick browsing. But in portrait mode, tabs will appear in a drop-down menu to save space. Overall, Firefox for Honeycomb is looking quite nice and efficient, but Mozilla is on

HP has just confirmed that its recently axed TouchPad tablet is getting one last production run. The company announced that it was discontinuing all webOS hardware as it contemplates the platform’s future, which led to a$99 fire sale that sparked new demand, so much so that the tablet is now out-of-stock at most retailers. There have been rumors that HP may continue production of the HP TouchPad with one of HP’s execs saying that the company could resurrect the tablet, but now the company has finally confirmed via a blog post that it will indeed be producing one more batch. However, this last production run will be of limited quantity and will not be available for at least a few weeks. Demand for the HP TouchPad didn’t spike until the drastic fire sales that were essentially giving away the tablet at $99 each. Previous more modest price cuts did little to spawn interest. It would seem that if HP wants to move this new batch, it would have to be pricing it below cost as well. But the co

Samsung’s much anticipated Galaxy S II smartphone is about to get its official US debut later this evening. It’s set to launch on three of the four major US carriers with the device to vary slightly for each. One of these variants is a WiMAX version called the Samsung Epic 4G Touch, which has apparently outed itself a bit early. A product slide showing the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch turned up on Samsung’s Mobile Product site, essentially confirming the device ahead of schedule. We’ve already seen the device in leaked press shots, so it’s not a complete surprise anyhow. But what’s interesting is that the slides indicate that the handset will actually sport a 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, which is a bump up from the 4.3-inch screen of the original Galaxy S II. Still, there are variants for AT&T and T-Mobile that have yet to be leaked. We’ll be covering the Samsung event live in NYC, so make sure to check back by 6pm EST for the full official details on the US debut of t

ComScore has issued a new report on the US smartphone market breakdown for the three-month period from April to July 2011. Unsurprisingly, Android and iOS continue their steady climb now reaching a combined market share of nearly 70 percent, while RIM, Microsoft, and Nokia’s Symbian continue to slide. Over the three month period, Android remained the fastest growing platform with a 5.4 percentage point change, now hitting 41.8 percent of US smartphone market share. It’s dominance, however, hasn’t stopped Apple, as iPhone shares also continued to grow, though at a more modest 1 point increase, now reaching 27 percent market share. The biggest drop was seen by RIM, with a negative 4.0 point change down to 21.7 percent, while Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform dropped off by 1 point to 5.7 percent and Nokia’s Symbian is now at only 1.9 percent. It will be interesting to see how things change with the various product launches set for this fall. Microsoft will be unleashing its Windows Phon

Wacom has long been known in the digital art community for its array of peripherals, especially its digital pen tablets. Drawing with a digital stylus is easier than with a mouse obviously, but still, nothing compares to drawing with a real pen on paper. And that is exactly what Wacom will address with its latest product called the Inkling. The Inkling is a new creative tool that will digitally capture what you draw as you draw it in real ink on real paper. It comes in a self-contained kit that consists of a receiver and a pen. The receiver can be attached to the edge of any paper medium you plan to draw on and detects the pen via an ultrasonic and infrared link. The receiver records your strokes as you draw and can record up to 1024 levels of pressure. It can even record your strokes onto different layers with a push of a button, which comes in handy if you’re using layer-based applications like Adobe Photoshop. And since it uses a real ink pen insert, when you’re finished you’ll have

In an interview with Reuters, HP’s PSG (Personal Systems Group) executive vice president Todd Bradley revealed that the company could resurrect the HP TouchPad. The webOS tablet was recently announced to bediscontinued along with all other webOS hardware after only about six short weeks on the market. Bradley also reveals that HP’s PC business will most likely be spun off as a standalone company than be sold to a rival PC maker. The interview with Bradley was mainly focused on the fate of HP’s PC business, which Bradley insists will remain number one in the world. Rather than sell off HP’s PSG unit to a rival PC maker, HP intends to spin-off the business into a separate standalone company that could continue to produce a full-line of computers, including ultra-thin and all-in-one PCs. However, what stood out was Bradley’s comment that he believed HP could still resurrect the TouchPad and that the company is still exploring options for webOS. He said that a number of companies have expr

Samsung has announced three new smartphones that will be powered by its own proprietary Bada 2.0 operating system. The flagship of this trio is the Wave 3, which was first leaked in Samsung’s IFA 2011 Unpacked app, followed by the Wave M that will target the mid-range market and the Wave Y for the entry-level market. The Wave 3 sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and packs in a 1.4GHz processor, a VGA front-facing camera, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and LED flash into a 9.9mm thin full metal chassis constructed of anodized aluminum. The Wave M will be the first to feature Samsung’s just announced ChatON messaging service and sports a 3.65-inch TFT LCD display with mid-range specs, but offers integrated NFC as an option. The Wave Y sports a 3.2-inch HVGA display and entry-level specs and will also work with ChatOn. Bada version 2.0 was recently announced along with the release of an SDK in hopes of more developer support. New features introduced by Bada 2.0 inc

It would be great to have the kind of money that Sir Richard Branson has at his disposal. The dude has islands, aircraft, ships, and even spacecraft that he toys around with. One of the cooler things that Branson has is his fast Necker Belle luxury catamaran. The catamaran is said to be one of the fastest on the oceans, but the coolest thing about it to me is the Necker Nymph. The Nymph is a little submarine that looks more like an underwater airplane. The thing reminds me a lot of James Bond’s Lotus that turned into a submarine. You might not have the loot that Branson has, but if you have $2,500 you can rent the Necker Nymph for the day. The Nymph can go up to 30-meters below the ocean and you and a passenger can explore. The only thing that might burst your bubble is that you can’t pilot the thing. You get a pilot with the day’s rental. You also have to be SCUBA equipped because the sub is open to the water. The dives can last 1-2 hours at a time.

I am not the sort to throw a tailgate party. I prefer to watch sporting events from home because the seats that are always in the price range I am willing to spend at a live venue suck. If you like to have the real event ambiance, but don’t want to cough up the money for the tickets to a football game or a baseball game the Dish Network Tailgater will let you throw a party in style. The Tailgater is a little self-contained HDTV satellite dish and receiver. My money says that this thing will see more use with people that like to camp and use RVs more than tailgaters. I thought the box was a little grill at first due to the small size, but all the parts to a HDTV watching experience other than the TV and tuner are inside. The Tailgater itself sells for $350. The dish inside even automatically aligns itself for viewing wherever you are. It does need a 110v power connection to work and it needs power for the ViP 211k single tuner HD box too. The service can be had on a month-to-month basis

The Dolphin Browser has been one of the most popular third-party web browsers for the Android platform and now it’s making its way to the iPhone. The browser is developed by MoboTap, which has just released a free iOS version of Dolphin that’s built to work on top of Safari. Dolphin lets you interact and engage with the web in an intuitive way that’s much more convenient on smaller touchscreens. It features a gestures functionality that lets you draw a sign as a shortcut for a specific command. For instance, drawing a “V” gesture on any web site will bring you to the bottom of the page. New gestures can be added for customized and convenient web browsing experience. Other features include Dolphin’s Webzine for viewing web content in a new way, tabbed browsing, sidebar for accessing bookmarks, smart address bar for better URL predictions, and a Speed Dial feature that makes it a snap to get to your favorite sites. Take a look at the below video to see the Dolphin browser in action.

When I hear cheap computer I think $300 or so. When talking about the Raspberry Pi computer cheap means REALLY cheap at about $25. That $25 price is obviously the goal of the project that aims at delivering the really cheap computers to the emerging markets. The company producing the little computer has unveiled a prototype and offered up a shot of the machine along with a video of it running a game. The little board has a 700MHz ARM processor and has 128MB of RAM in the device in the photos. The OS and software is run off a SD card on the board. The interesting part is that the tiny computer has the oomph to run video games. The video below shoes the Raspberry Pi running Quake III. The video shows the game rendered in 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4x AA. The frame rate in the video is a bit jittery, but the company wanted to show that the computer can run at that frame rate. Honestly, I think you could play the game at the settings in the demo. If not, you could cut some options and cer

Motorola has just announced a new Android smartphone called the Motorola Pro+. This handset runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and sports a portrait QWERTY—a form factor that says it’s going after the BlackBerry-toting business crowd. The device is set to launch in Europe and Asia in October and could land on T-Mobile here in the states. The Motorola Pro+ is powered by a 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. It features a 3.1-inch 480×640 touchscreen protected by Gorilla Glass and sports a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash. And although the phone has only been confirmed for Europe and Asia, it does come in two variants, one of which supports 14.4Mbps HSPA on AWS, hinting that it may be heading to T-Mobile. Portrait-oriented full physical QWERTY smartphones for Android are less common than the popular full touchscreen handsets, but the form factor proves to still be popular for business users that require lots of typing, texting, and sending emails while on the go. Samsung will also be

Boxee is now adding the MOG music streaming service to their lineup of available apps on its set-top box. The Boxee Box has recently seen the addition of Grooveshark as well as new support for AirPlay along with an iPad app, giving owners many options when it comes to consuming TV, movies, and music. The addition of MOG means access to the millions of songs through the service, which is similar to Spotify and Rdio. MOG emphasizes that songs are streamed in high-fidelity at 320Kbps, which they claim is higher audio quality than any other music streaming service. Boxee Box owners will now get to use this service to stream music to their TVs and home theater sound systems while album art is displayed with 1080p HD image quality. MOG boasts a collection of 11 million songs and costs $4.99 per month for an unlimited plan and can be accessed from any mobile device with a web browser. And now its available through the Boxee Box, which costs $199.99 and offers many video and music streaming op

Android users have a new set of headphones that will be shipping soon that are made specifically for Android devices. Many of the headphones out there that sport an in-line remote control only work with iOS devices. These Klipsch headphones are made specifically for the Android platform. They pair with the Klipsch Control App to allow the customization of call functionality. As you expect with an inline remote the S4A remote can control call answer and end, redial, and the mic can be muted. For music the remote controls pause/play, track forward/rewind, volume, and they are designed to block noise. The ear tips are designed to fill the ear and block noise as well as keep the sound in your ear. The remote and mic also support voice searching and voice commands. The app required for the mic to work only supports Android 2.1 and later devices. The headphones sell for $99 and come with a carry case and multiple ear tips. You can pre-order now for $99.99 with an unspecified shipping date.

As part of Apple’s new iCloud service is a feature called iTunes Match, which was first announced back atWWDC 2011. This feature will set Apple’s cloud music service apart from competitors and has just been released in the latest iTunes 10.5 Beta 6.1 update to developers. The service should launch alongside iOS 5 and the iPhone 5 and/or 4S, both rumored for a September-October time frame. The iTunes Match feature differentiates Apple’s iCloud music service from competitors because it saves time from uploading your entire music collection and lets you stream songs not purchased from iTunes. The service scans your music collection and uploads only the songs that do not exist in Apple’s music library. For the songs that can be found in Apple’s music library, the service will stream directly from the Apple master copy at 256kbps to your Mac or iOS device. However, the service is optional and will cost $25 a year. If you don’t want to pay that amount, you can still manually upload the songs

If you are a photographer that takes product shots for high-end magazines and advertising campaigns your equipment is on a completely different level that what most of us have access too. Take Mitchell Feinberg for instance this guy is a specialist in shooting photos of expensive wares from cars to watches and he takes his job seriously. Apparently, Feinberg was tired of shooting test shots with an instant 8×10 Polaroid camera to check exposure and focus. Those shots were $15 each and with 7-8 test shots per product the dude was spending about $50,000 each year on the film alone for test shots. Instead of throwing his money away, he took a bunch of loot and commissioned himself a gigantic 10MP image sensor that he could use in place of that film. The sensor is called the Maxback and it shoots 8×10 photos. The sensor is solely for test shots since the resolution isn’t enough for quality photos. Feinberg didn’t come clean on what the sensor cost him. Actually, it wasn’t a sensor he purch

It’s been a long time since we heard anything from WikiLeaks. Some recently leaked documents have outlined some of the methods that Apple has taken to stomp out piracy over the years in China. The document is a cable from the Beijing embassy that shows Apple formed a team in March 2008 to fight piracy inside the country. The sheer scale of the piracy has only come to light recently when it was noted that entire Apple Stores were being pirated. Those faux Apple stores didn’t change much once Chinese authorities cracked down, some simply changed names. The cables leaked by WikiLeaks shows that Apple had a plan in place to tackle piracy. First Apple planned to go after street vendors. After that they were going after retailers. The next step was to be going after the factories where parts meant for Apple products are often stolen to make the Apple imitations. The last step in the plan was to target online retailers. The cables also noted that low-profile clandestine raids were the best ap

There has been talk lately of the Switchblade, the gaming notebook from Razer that looks really cool. This Switchblade I am talking about isn’t a gaming notebook or from Razer. This is a concept controller that is made just for gamers that have some sort of disability. The controlled looks very complex, is from the company called AbleGamers, and is in the Adroit line. The big black box is a controller with 19 ports that you can stick buttons, control sticks, rumble packs, and other gear into to make a custom gaming configuration. The device comes with dual joysticks. There are other configurations too that will allow movement, even if those are buttons rather than a stick or d-Pad. Each of the ports can also be programmed with macros to perform complex commands with a single press. The controller is made for the Xbox 360 system. Gamers on the PC or PS3 can buy adapters to allow it to work with those systems too.