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Smart TV is gaining traction, but not everybody wants to upgrade every set in their house just to add native streaming support for Netflix and similar services. Philips believes it has the answer with the HMP2000, a compact Netflix adapter that also promises YouTube, Facebook and local media access for under £50 ($79). Is this the Roku rival we’ve been waiting for? Check out the full review after the cut. Hardware Small and simple, the HMP2000 has roughly the same footprint as the Apple TV but an angled rather than flat top. Connectivity is limited to just an HDMI port, a power input and a full-sized USB 2.0; inside there’s WiFi, but you don’t get an option for wired ethernet or alternative audio-out routes. Philips includes a compact remote control with playback keys, a navigation pad and a dedicated Netflix shortcut. It’s functional, but the buttons feel cheap and overly clicky. Unfortunately there’s no HDMI cable in the box, which comes across as miserly. Setup and Interface With so

HTC’s One X smartphone has been pictured in press-shot form, days ahead of the Android quad-core’s official debut expected to take place at MWC 2012, and complete with dedicated Ice Cream Sandwich control buttons. The handset, previously known as the HTC Edge and Endeavor, is expected to run Android 4.0 and Sense 4.0 on NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quadcore, according to the rumor machine, and thanks to Pocketnow‘s leaked image we can get a glimpse of the presumably final hardware wrapped around those specs. Up front is believed to be a sizable 4.7-inch touchscreen, running at 720p HD resolution, while we’re expecting an 8-megapixel camera on the back with 1080p Full HD video recording. There’s clearly a front-facing camera too, while the ICS controls for back, home and task-switching that, on the Galaxy Nexus, are rendered in software, get dedicated touch-sensitive buttons on the One X. It’s unclear what material HTC has opted to use for the One X. The black handset could be plastic, or it could

Apple has quietly launched Mastered for iTunes, a push to deliver music “exactly as the artists and sound engineers intend it to be heard”, though the company maintains that iTunes Plus 256kbps AAC files are still sufficient rather than lossless. In an updated guide to sound engineers and others involved in producing music for digital distribution, Apple outlines the new “Master for iTunes droplet” which can be used to create high-quality iTunes Plus files from AIFF or WAVE masters. “The Droplet creates an AAC audio file from an AIFF or WAVE source file by first generating a CAF (Core Audio File) rendered with an iTunes sound check profile applied to the file. If the sample rate of the source file is greater than 44.1 kHz, it’s downsampled to 44.1 kHz using our mastering-quality SRC. Next, it uses this newly rendered CAF to render a high quality AAC audio file. Once the final AAC audio file is generated, the intermediary CAF is deleted” Apple Mastered for iTunes guide According to Appl

If you spend a lot of time in the backseat of a car for any reason or if you have kids that ride in the backseat and like to use your iPad, you may be like me and worry they’ll drop it if you have to stop suddenly. Scosche showed off an interesting iPad 2 mount that during CES that was specifically designed to hold your iPad 2 safely and securely in the car. The holder is called the backStage pro II. The case is designed to hold the iPad securely and it fastens to the little bars underneath the headrests on the front seats. If your car doesn’t have the type of headrests with a button that allows you to adjust their height, this device won’t work for you. Scosche claims that the holder will stay attached your car in the event of an accident. It is made from rugged aluminum and keeps the iPad within reach, assuming your backseats aren’t really far from the front seats, the holder can be used safely and securely while driving. This would be an awesome holder for road trips with kids if yo

T-Mobile USA isn’t just planning an LTE network, it’s “making amazing 4G services affordable” the carrier claims, as part of its “Challenger Strategy” to claw back subscribers from its rivals. Having blamed the lure of the iPhone 4S for stealing contract customers away in Q4 2011, T-Mobile USA now faces the perhaps tricky task of developing two networks it calls “4G” – HSPA+ and LTE – without leaving customers confused. “We want to be known for delivering the best value in wireless because of the advanced technology we deliver at an affordable price” Philipp Humm, CEO and President of T-Mobile USA, said in a statement today. “Over the next two years, we’re prioritizing and investing in initiatives designed to get T-Mobile back to growth in the years ahead — beginning with the transformation of our network.” That network has long used the 4G nomenclature for a service that experts might not call 4G at all. Like AT&T, T-Mobile branded HSPA+ as 4G so that it could market itself as com

If you are a user of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Android tablet that has been anxiously waiting for the Android 4.0 update, the time is near. Asus has announced via Facebook that as of today it’s officially rolling out the first wave of over the air updates for the Transformer tablet. The update is firmware version v.9.2.1.11 and Asus promises other regions will get the update soon. Asus talks a bit about how it intends to continue improving the experience with regular firmware updates. This particular Ice Cream Sandwich update has taken much longer than owners of the tablet would’ve liked. There is no indication of how long it will take before the update comes to Europe and the US. Asus also mentions in the Facebook post they will be announcing several new “innovations” at Mobile World Congress 2012 kicking off next week. I would expect that we will see the smartphones and tablets from Asus at the show. If you have the new update on your Transformer, be sure and let us know how

Panasonic has unveiled a new speaker in Japan today called the SC-AP01. This is an Apple AirPlay speaker designed to play high-quality music wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet. The official launches date for the device April 20. I particularly like the interesting design, the case of the speaker appears to be very thin. The speaker will work the Panasonic remote control application for the iPhone simply called Panasonic Stereo System Remote 2012. The speaker is only 59 mm deep making it easy to place wherever you want. It has special sound technology called direct vocal surround in the speakers, and another feature called nano bamboo technology. Nano bamboo technology uses a speaker made of fine bamboo fibers to produce high-quality sound with renewable materials. The direct vocal sound is designed to provide a three-dimensional sound field allowing you to hear clear vocals and instruments anywhere in the room. The speaker also has an integrated preset equalizer with settings fo

Spotify has been around for a while in the US now and in other countries for longer. The streaming music service has proven to be very popular and gives access to a wide variety of music. Spotify claims it’s always on the lookout for ways to improve the music listening experience and land more users. It has announced two new features that users of the service will appreciate. Spotify has announced today that it has added gapless playback and crossfade features. The gapless playback feature allows your playlist of tracks to flow seamlessly from one to the next without any silence in between. Spotify reckons this feature is perfect for classical music fans and live recordings. In fact, gapless playback will be on by default from now on. If you don’t like it, you can turn it off in the preferences area. The crossfade feature lets you play DJ all you want. With this feature, you can fade out one song can fade another song in, which could be nice if you’re hosting a party and feel like play

Qualcomm has launched its Atheros 802.11ac product range, an ecosystem of high-speed WiFi chipsets promising up to 6.9Gbps data rates in smartphones, tablets, smart TV hardware, computers and home routers. Getting its official unveil at MWC next week, the new Atheros line-up deliveres “practical gigabit wireless” performance Todd Antes, Qualcomm Atheros VP of product management told SlashGear and addresses the “looming challenge” of exponential growth in WiFi-enabled clients. It’s not just a matter of faster speeds, though: 802.11ac says there’ll be better range and overall capacity, too, as well as improved battery life for mobile devices. Qualcomm is targeting all three of the major electronics markets, Antes explained: mobile, computing and networking. 11ac uses the 5GHz band for increased capacity, and can combine up to eight streams simultaneously for the fastest performance. Only the most advanced versions will see 6.9Gbps-style rates, with 3.5Gbps perhaps more likely as the theo

Mobile World Congress 2012 kicks off next week and at the show, we will undoubtedly see hordes of the smartphones and other devices launch. If you’re a big fan of smartphones of any brand or type, this is the show where you’ll see many of the new high-end devices set to land this year. SlashGear and Android Community will be at the show so stay tuned for more coverage. Samsung filed several trademark applications on February 16 for device names expected to be smartphones. The trademark applications include names like the Samsung Galaxy Rite, Samsung Galaxy Heir, Samsung Galaxy Awaken, and Samsung Galaxy Axiom. There is a chance that we could see these devices launch at Mobile World Congress 2012 next week. However, I have to wonder if Samsung would’ve waited until only a few weeks before devices were to launch to file the trademark applications, assuming MWC 2012 is the launch target. All the trademark applications want to secure the individual names for use on mobile phones and smartp

Apple has successfully squashed attempts to secure a preliminary sales injunction against the iPad 2 in Shanghai, keeping the iOS tablet on Chinese shelves and casting further doubt over the future success of Proview‘s trademark case. The Shanghai court suspended the case and rejected Proview’s demands for an early sales ban on the iPad, the WSJ reports, until it could hear the trademark ruling being argued in the Guangdong provincial high court. Apple contends that it purchased the iPad trademark from a Proview subsidiary several years ago, and that it is legally entitled to use the name in China. Proview, however, argues that the subsidiary had no legal right to sell the trademark, and claims to still hold the rights; it sought a sales ban in Shanghai, perhaps Apple’s biggest market within China, and hinted that it was chasing an expensive out-of-court settlement. Apple has threatened Proview with a defamation suit, saying its chairman was fully aware of the transaction despite his

AppleInsider reports that a former AMD employee has come forward to reveal that Apple seriously looked at AMD Llano chips to power the MacBook Air. The alleged former employee says that Apple passed on the AMD parts because the chip had too many samples that were faulty. These Llano parts are known as the Fusion processors from AMD. Fusion combines the CPU and GPU onto one part that could’ve been ideal for thin and portable notebook computers like the Air. The source goes on to claim that AMD was unable to make enough early samples that worked appropriately to get to Apple for testing in time. One source is claiming that AMD had the deal and was unable to deliver enough functional parts and therefore lost the deal. AppleInsider cites other sources claiming AMD had tried to land a deal with Apple to get its Brazos processor into the Apple TV set-top box. Apple obviously didn’t go with the AMD part, but Brazos was able to catch on for netbooks. According to an alleged former employee if

I was never a big fan of the original Star Trek series. It seemed like during the summers a kid it was on TV all the time, and I couldn’t get past how cheesy it seemed. I am much more camp Piccard than camp Kirk. This is an interesting story about the original Star Trek, and if you’re a fan of the original series, you may remember “The Doomsday Machine” episode. That episode was apparently one of the more popular episodes of the original series and was written by Norman Spinrad. Spinrad wrote that one episode only, or so most fans thought. It appears that the writer also penned another episode titled “He Walked Among Us” which was intended to be a dramatic episode. The episode was written around Milton Berle as the star. Apparently, a producer named Gene L. Coon didn’t see Berle as a dramatic actor and instead rewrote the episode as a comedy. Spinrad says that the rewrite was so bad that he begged series creator Gene Roddenberry to kill it. Apparently, Roddenberry read through the epis

I wonder when it comes to physics geeks if their dream in life is to prove one of Einstein’s theories as correct or incorrect. A group of physicists at a CERN lab near Geneva announced to the world last September that they had recorded particles that move faster than the speed of light. That discovery has grave implications for Einstein’s theory of special relativity that he proposed in 1905. That theory states that nothing in the universe can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. However, the researchers had announced that the recorded neutrinos are able to travel faster than the speed of light. The announcement kicked off a flurry of other studies and research a other physicists tried to figure out if the CERN researchers were correct. There were a number of theories, including one suggesting that the team possibly forgot to take into account time distortions introduced by GPS satellites in orbit. The reason for the incorrect findings is actually much simpler than many m

Samsung can’t stop sniping at Apple, and the latest Galaxy Note street challenge seems to have convinced at least one disgruntled iPhone owner; however, the Korean firm still has Dilbert to persuade. For its latest commercial, Samsung apparently took its 5.3-inch smartphone-tablet hybrid to the mean streets of New York City, giving Android users a few hours to get to grips with the “phablet”, and then pitted them against iPhone owners on a series of challenges. The street tasks go heavy on in-built functionality, with the Galaxy Note’s annotation abilities as well as its photo editing tools each put through their paces. In contrast, the poor iPhone owner is left gaping at her Samsung-toting rival. Popout It makes for a good video, of course, but you could arguably find app alternatives in the iOS App Store to achieve most if not all of what the Galaxy Note manages on the iPhone. Still, by the end she seems convinced enough to plan to upgrade to the Samsung next time around. Unfortunat

Oh heck yeah! This is one of the coolest things I’ve read in a long time. Paleontologists at Drexel University are using a 3-D printer to turn fossilized dinosaur bones into robotic dinosaurs, how freaking awesome is that! This team of paleontologists was fed up with using the traditional tools of the trade, which include things like plaster, burlap, and pickaxes. These guys wanted something modern to give them a better understanding of how dinosaurs lived and moved. “Technology in paleontology hasn’t changed in about 150 years,” said Drexel paleontologist Dr. Kenneth Lacovara. “We use shovels and pickaxes and burlap and plaster. It hasn’t changed — until right now.” Lacovara is working with Dr. James Tangorra to improve the tools used in paleontology and integrate the 3-D scanning of fossils into the university’s collection. The replicas will be used in museums and as teaching aids that can be handled whereas the ancient real bones could be fragile and are irreplaceable if damaged. Th

UK carriers Orange and T-Mobile plan to launch a 4G LTE network in the country later this year, combined comms company Everything Everywhere has announced, with 1800MHz trials kicking off in one city come April. Bristol will be the first to get 1800MHz LTE from the carriers, while Orange and T-Mobile subscribers across the UK will be able to use their 3G modem to get the best signal, no matter which of the two carriers they’re with, from mid-March. The company is already running one LTE trial, begun in Cornwall last September and scheduled to operate until July this year, to test the 800MHz band, but Everything Everywhere expects 1800MHz to be more useful in urban and suburban areas. In contrast, 800MHz provided solid speeds and broad coverage in more rural settings. As for the network sharing – which Everything Everywhere calls “Smart Signal Share” – that continues the roll-out of integration of the two carriers brought under the same brand begun in 2010. 3G sharing on smartphones was

A few weeks ago, we got word that the United States Air Force Special Operations Command was looking atpurchasing as many as 18,000 iPad tablets. The tablets were expected to be used in the cockpit of aircraft to help reduce pilot workload with digital charts and other capabilities. Reports are now coming in the USAF has canceled those plans to purchase iPads. Pilots for American Airlines are using iPads in the cockpit for easier access to charts and weight savings already. According to Nextgov.com, it sent a query to the Special Operations Command regarding plans to include Russian-developed security and document reader software on the tablets. Apparently, two days after the query was sent; the Air Force canceled its plans to purchase 2861 iPad 2 tablets. The software specifically in question is called GoodReader was developed to meet mission security requirements. The website also reports that the director of the Army smartphone project had told it that he would not use software deve

OnLive Desktop may have stumbled upon the best way to get Flash content on an iPad: host the CPU-hungry tech on a server as far away as possible from your tablet, and simply stream over the results. In an update to theOnLive Desktop remote access app, first released last month, OnLive Desktop Plus adds gigabit-speed accelerated browsing with full Adobe Flash support, delivering what the company says isn’t just the fastest full-browsing experience when mobile, but the fastest experience on any platform. “You can expect even the most elaborate Flash websites to load in seconds, even if it would have taken your home computer minutes to load the same page” OnLive CEO Steve Perlman promises. ”Animation, video and sound come through impeccably and instantly. And, large cloud storage files and Web email attachments—even 50 MB PowerPoint presentations—to upload or download in less than a second.” Apple has always strongly defended its decision not to allow Flash on its iOS devices, blaming Ad

ZTE has already shown us three of its LTE-toting smartphones for Mobile World Congress next week; now the company has admitted it has a further five waiting in the wings for the smartphone show too. In addition to the Tegra 3-based ZTE Mimosa X, along with the PF200 and N910, the company has a range of other devices running Android and Windows Phone (ZTE actually says “Windows Mobile” but we’re assuming that’s a mistake) that it hopes will help propel it into the the top three handset companies by 2015. Specific details of the five remaining mystery phones are unknown, though ZTE says there’ll be things like LTE and multicore processors to differentiate at least some of them. The company also has new cloud-computing services to show off, though it’s unclear if that will be a consumer-facing service – such as the Box cloud storage bundled with some recent smartphones – or something more for operators. If there are more phones like the Mimosa X, we could be very interested in what ZTE ha

T-Mobile USA has confirmed its plans to launch an LTE network in 2013, though the carrier has faced slumping revenues in Q4 2011 as subscribers jump ship to the iPhone 4S available from its rivals. “Not carrying the iPhone led to a significant increase in contract deactivations in the fourth quarter of 2011″ CEO and president Philipp Humm conceded today, before announcing a $1.4bn network modernization investment plan for this year and next as it begins to make use of the huge chunk of AWS spectrum AT&T is handing over as compensation after acquisition plans collapsed. “In 2012 and 2013, T-Mobile USA will invest to get the business back to growth, including an incremental $1.4 billion investment in its network modernization initiative, which will total a $4 billion investment over time” Philipp Humm, CEO and President, T-Mobile USA Still, LTE won’t arrive for a while yet, which leaves plenty of quarters for T-Mobile to struggle through. The carrier actually saw its contract custome

The HTC One S (aka the HTC Ville) isn’t expected to make its official debut until Mobile World Congress next week, according to the leaks, but some benchmarking results for the dualcore smartphone have already emerged. The NenaMark2 testing, which confirms the rumored 1.5GHz dualcore, qHD display and Adreno 225 graphics chip, delivers a 60.60fps score, impressive considering this is undoubtedly running non-final software. The handset is running Android 4.0.3 – presumably with HTC Sense 4.0 on top, as we saw in recently leaked video footage - though the rest of the specs all come from previous rumors. The One S is believed to have 1GB of RAM and HSPA+, an 8-megapixel camera, 4.3-inch display and WiFi b/g/n, along with GPS and Bluetooth. Of course, the device we’re particularly interested in is the handset believed to be the HTC One X, aka the HTC Edge, which is expected to use NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quadcore chipset. That, as NVIDIA has been discussing earlier today, has in fact five cores, w

Back when we were first learning about the amazing technology in the system-on-chip architecture of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, the term “VSMP” was used to describe the “ninja core” it included. That extra core, the fifth core, also known as the “companion core” is now set to be described in a much more “everyman” term: 4-PLUS-1. What the NVIDIA 4-PLUS-1 quad-core architecture here does is the same thing we described all those weeks ago, it’s simply much more clear with a brand new name attached to it. Though there are four main cores to ever NVIDIA Tegra 3 SoC, there’s also a fifth chip that has the ability to perform tasks separate from the four. This architecture allows for exceptional processing power as well as excellent battery life because of how it functions. This system uses its main four CPU cores for such giant tasks as gaming, while the fifth core is only called upon when it’s just processing email or sleeping that needs to be done. We’ve seen this process worki

This week LG Electronics have released information on their first NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor toting smartphone, the LG Optimus 4X HD. This device follows up on the world’s first dual-core device, the LG Optimus 2X, and comes with everything from HD video playback to a high efficiency battery. This smartphone has a massive 4.7-inch display, 8.9mm thickness across the whole device, and a super-thin bezel around the screen – and of course, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.5GHz quad-core processor. This device has the Tegra 3′s four main CPU cores and the fifth low-power drive bringing this processor and therefor this phone the world’s only smartphone-sized 4-plus-1 core-toting smartphone device on earth. This device also comes with no less than the newest version of Google’s own Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest version of the group’s world-class mobile operating system. The Optimus 4X has the ability to output video to HDMI via its own MHL port, DLNA support, and a brand new version

Whether you’re a fan of RPGs, sports games, strategy titles, or just the good old Nintendo classics, the lineup of first-party Wii and 3DS games is looking pretty packed over the next few months. In the land of things that are totally not coincidences, Nintendo made a big wave about what to expect on its systems in the near future, on the same day that Sony launched the PlayStation Vita handheld in the US. So in Nintendo’s words of telling consumers why they should not spend their money and instead focus on their 3DS and Wii platforms, here’s what you can expect. First of all, there’s a new version of the ceberal-busting game series we have all come to love since the launch of Brain Age. Nintendo is back at work with Dr. Kawashima on the latest installment. In addition, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that Mario Tennis Open will be launching on the 3DS on May 20 in the US. Also on 3DS will be Fire Emblem Awakening, which is confirmed to have downloadable content support. Also

One of the largest distributors in the market of small and independent publishers, IPG said it did not buckle under pressure from Amazon to pay more money from its e-book sales. And as a result, the online retail giant has disabled the electronic versions of all IPG titles, which is somewhere in the range of five thousand. IPG’s contract with Amazon had just come up for renewal and, according to IPG, Amazon asked for new terms that would have given it a bigger cut of IPG’s sales. Since IPG represents a lot of publishers that don’t otherwise have a very strong marketing arm, e-books are a very large component of the company’s business. IPG president Mark Suchomel was quoted by PaidContent.org as saying, “We’re offering [Amazon the same terms] we offered last week, and somehow they think it’s not quite good enough.” He said Amazon threatened to cut off all Kindle access to its titles if it didn’t accept the new terms, and that’s exactly what happened. This move only applies to the digita

One of the most fascinating subjects in all of medical science is neuroscience. The study of the brain has made a lot of advancements throughout the years, especially with the help of increasingly sophisticated computer research. One of the area of most interest is in mental illness, where there is still a flurry of questions about what the best treatment is, if it’s curable, and how to approach patients with various diseases. Today, computers are part of that. A new study in the journal Neuron looked at 31 schizophrenia patients. The study specifically looked at patients who had longstanding schizophrenia cases, with most of them living with the disease for more than half their lives. In a computer program that aimed to encourage patients to focus on reprogram their minds, researchers found that the damaged cognitive processes were able to be at least partially restored. The breakthrough study showed that people who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia are not stuck that way for lif

We’ve seen a lot of stories about state-of-the-art robotics being used for military applications. After all, one of the best potential uses for having an impervious remote-controlled object is to send it into places that are too dangerous for actual humans to enter. However, those situations don’t just exist in war zones; they can happen right in your backyard, for example if there is a fire. That’s why a pair of Korean companies have invested in creating a robot that’s designed to help fight fires. The firefighting robot can withstand temperatures of up to 1,400 degrees and has the ability to operate autonomously for up to an hour and a half. The bot can also record and transmit video, and has the ability to use a hose and spray water over the flames. And perhaps even more important than all that – it has thermal imaging capabilities, so it would be possible for someone to remotely operate the robot through a building that a normal human would be completely blind in navigating. The te

It’s in vogue right now to say that PC gaming is dead. When we talk about digital downloads in the marketplace, it’s always sexier to talk about Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. But there’s a new infographic that shows just how strong of a segment those people with their mousepads and keyboards still are. In fact, some of these numbers might shock you. The infographic, which comes to us from VideoGameDesignSchools and can be seen in its ridiculously long entirety here, looks specifically at Steam’s place in the PC gaming market. The digital download platform owned by Valve has become the ubiquitous place to find downloadable games, whether you’re on a Windows or Mac computer. So for example, the graphic shows that 40 million people have a Steam account. That’s the same number of Xbox Live users. Surprised? Here are a couple other interesting stats – in 2011, more than 780 petabytes worth of games and content was downloaded by users. It would take more than one million Macbook Pro

In a world where Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonists struggle getting their own content approved as an iPhone app, somehow a lone developer managed to submit a game that was a blatant ripoff and trademark infringement of one of the most recognizable franchises in the world, which didn’t even work, and rise to the #2 spot in the App Store charts. That’s Apple for you. Of course, by now the 99-cent Pokemon Yellow game has been removed from iTunes but not before there was a huge kerfuffle. Now, the company that actually owns the rights to the Pokemon video game series has come forward to issue a statement on the whole ordeal. “We continue to combat the unauthorised release of games, applications and merchandise that trick our fans into purchasing something that does not meet our quality standards,” The Pokemon Company said in its official response. “Fans who encounter questionable products should report to us immediately so we can keep other fans from falling victim to these scam

Intel is taking another step in its slow push toward building a chip-to-order foundry business. FPGA designer Tabula has come forward to announce that it will have chips built by Intel. This augments the existing foundry parnership the semiconductor company has with Achronix Semiconductor, which announced its Intel collaboration last year. Tabula will be using Intel’s 22nm process with 3D trigate transistors. This is compared to the 28nm and 32nm processes that are more widely used in the industry, as no other company has been able to match Intel’s technological superiority in this field. This initiative will help Intel remain profitable as it can continue to sell chips to enterprise clients for purposes other than its traditional business of PC component selling. This could mean that Intel will be able to spend more money on research and development, which could be a big boost to the entire industry. Of course, on the other hand, it loses its competitive advantage by opening the door

This week University of Pennsylvania paleobotanist Hermann Pfefferkorn and colleagues have presented findings they’ve collected from a fossilized forest hidden under a coal mine in China for 300 million years. These findings will lend insight into the ecology and climate from the time and place that the forest was alive, before it was covered in a volcano’s ash over a period of several days. Because of the speed in which the ash fell and the subsequent perfect storm of environmental factors that proceeded, this site has been kept in relatively excellent condition since the age of Pangea. The image you see above has been presented by the University of Pennsylvania as a reconstruction of the peat-forming forest we’re speaking about today. Jun Wang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yi Zhang of Shenyang Normal University and Zhuo Feng of Yunnan University worked with Pfefferkorn who is, again, a professor in Penn’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science. The paper they’re about to

Even though software company Symantec released a patch for its pcAnywhere program after it was infiltrated by hackers, as many as 200,000 computers are still running the infected version, including thousands that may have access to credit card and other sensitive data. These numbers are according to Rapid7, which surveyed the Net for computers that were running unpatched versions of the software. The hack into pcAnywhere is incredibly large in scope, and Symantec even advised users to remove the program entirely. That’s crazy. The company even admits that its patch may not be strong enough to prevent other vulnerabilities from being exposed. Rapid7 said that around 2.5% of the infected PCs that haven’t been patched are computers that act as point-of-sale systems in retail stores or other small businesses. That means they contain very sensitive information. Symantec never revealed how many computers had installed pcAnywhere, so it’s unclear how many people did actually perform the patch

Hackers come in all shapes and sizes, and so do the devices they toil away on to try to gain some sort of Internet fame or just personal satisfaction. In that context, the Nook Touch isn’t exactly the place for a hotbed of hacking activity but someone has still managed to pull off an exploit that’s pretty interesting. The hack involves exponentially increasing the e-reader’s refresh rate. There’s a video below if you want to see it in action. The device refreshes so quickly that most of the time, you can barely even make out what’s on the screen before it moves on. So what’s the point? Well, for now, not much. It’s just an impressive little hack. But perhaps it means in the future someone will be able to run a video or some other kind of advanced content on the device. Of course, if you want a Nook that can play videos, you may as well pick up a Nook Tablet, but that’s a whole other discussion. For now, we’ll just appreciate the fact that even an electronics device as seemingly innocuo