IBLOG SPACE

We decided to go on a bit of a headphones and tiny speakers spree in the last couple of days at CES 2012, ending up all over the place for sound quality and notoriety in the industry, finding such odd gems as this: The Mix Master over-ear headphones by Skullcandy. While you can pick these up in a shiny black version, we went straight for the wildest color scheme we could find, the specs the same no matter which colorway you decide on. These phones hold the special distinction of having Propriety Mylar Drivers approved by none other than Mix Master Mike himself. For those of you that do not know, Mix Master Mike is one of the most notoriously fantastic DJs on the planet, emerging on a global scale when joining the Beastie Boys as their resident spin master on such gems as Hello Nasty and their newest album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. What these headphones are is a DJ-friendly set of features like dual-cable inputs (one on either phone), one-touch mute, single-channel cue control f

There’s certainly no big amount of difference on the inside of this device when you compare it to the black version of the Galaxy Note, also coming to AT&T soon, but the obsession with the white chassis continues, and the white note looks so good, your humble narrator says, that it deserves its own separate hands-on. I say separate because we did get a hands-on earlier this week with the other color for this device, that being a lovely charcoal black front and back, but now it’s time to get pearly with a white that accents not only the monster scale of this device, but it’s USA-only set of four capacitive buttons below the display. As you’ll notice right away, the capacitive buttons do light up as they do with many Android devices, but here with the white casing it creates an effect to be envied – glowtastic! Then there’s the same awesome specifications you’ve all heard and know: a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HS display at 1280 x 800 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz dual-core proce

Samsung had plenty of smart TVs that it hoped people would stare eagerly at last week at CES 2012, but it was a display you can gaze right through that was arguably the most exciting. Samsung’s Transparent Smart Window, the 22-inch LCD panel can not only show you everything your regular computer display does, but is also clear so that you can look through at what’s outside your home. Samsung actually showed off the transparent display technology back in March 2011, suggesting at the time that it could be used for advertising. Unfortunately that application proved too mundane to catch the public’s attention in quite the way Samsung hoped for, hence the return of the tech last week and the far more exciting prospect of your double-glazing telling you your latest Tweets, Facebook friend requests and Google+ Hangouts. As well as giving internet updates and letting you work on your latest report for work while simultaneously keeping an eye on the kids in the garden, the smart window can

The US government has responded to the internet uproar over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), promising that any acts challenging piracy will not go to the House of Representatives without consensus being found first. “While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response,” President Obama’s IP, technology and cybersecurity chiefs wrote today, “we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.” “”Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small” Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coo

Google’s social network, Google+, will also come under investigation in a US FTC antitrust probe, according to sources, as the Commission examines whether the search giant has improperly used its heft to squeeze out rivals. Although originally expected to cover search, the US Federal Trade Commission’s inquiry will now be expanded to look at Google+, two people “familiar with the situation” tell Bloomberg. The social network, and how it now feeds into search results, made headlines last week after Google announced plans to more closely personalize users’ search experience. Called “Search plus Your World“, the new system uses the Google+ social network to act as a filter for search results. For instance, if users have expressed interest in maritime history, a search for “navy” might pull up sea-bound warfare rather than results related to the color. Meanwhile other Google+ user suggestions are included in the autocomplete and flagged up as part of results. Nonetheless, the news was

Apple‘s patent violation claims against Motorola Mobility have been rejected in a preliminary ruling, with the US ITC suggesting that none of the infringements alleged by the Cupertino company hold water. Although still relatively early in the process – with a final decision yet to be settled upon by the US International Trade Commission – the preliminary ITC ruling [pdf link] indicates that Motorola hasn’t overstepped the mark with regards to three patented technologies Apple claims have been infringed by the DROID line of devices. “We are pleased with today’s favorable outcome for Motorola Mobility” Scott Offer, senior vice president and general counsel of Motorola Mobility said in a statement. “Motorola Mobility has worked hard over the years to develop technology and build an industry-leading intellectual property portfolio. We are proud to leverage this broad and deep portfolio to create differentiated innovations that enhance the user experience.” The patents Apple had cited

Google is “mortified” that its Getting Kenyan Businesses Online team raided the database of a local startup for crowd-sourced business details, the company has said, and is investigating the use of false claims about its rival. “We’ve already unreservedly apologized to Mocality” Nelson Mattos, Vice-President for Product and Engineering, Europe and Emerging Markets at Google told us, after the startup revealed server logs and an investigation of its own that suggested staff at Google call centers in Kenya and India had been grabbing leads from Mocality’s database and using them to promote their own business. “We were mortified to learn that a team of people working on a Google project improperly used Mocality’s data and misrepresented our relationship with Mocality to encourage customers to create new websites. We’ve already unreservedly apologized to Mocality. We’re still investigating exactly how this happened, and as soon as we have all the facts, we’ll be taking the appropriate ac