Remaining black Pebbles set to ship, red flavor due in two to three weeks

Kickstarter backers have been receiving Pebble smartwatches with a black paint job since January, but if you're a supporter and haven't gotten ahold of your own yet, that's about to change. The folks behind the hardware announced today that the remaining watches are out of the factory and are being readied for delivery, making for over 55,000 shipped. Now that noir Pebbles are out of the way, the team says it's hard at work perfecting the production of the devices in other colors, and that the very first red Pebbles should be ready for shipping in two to three weeks. Other flavors don't have an estimated ship date just yet, but the team says Orange hardware will come next, with gray / white tagging along afterwards. Those who cherish speed over color can switch their order to a black ticker and snag one within roughly two weeks. On the software side, the e-paper timepiece can now take advantage of five 12-hour watch faces, so long as they carry firmware version 1.9.1. Hit the source link for details on the tribulations of color Pebble production and the perils of plastic injection.

Source: Pebble (Kickstarter)

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By: Unknown On 11:20 AM

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Microsoft working on a fix for Halo 4 SmartGlass issues, arriving in 'the coming weeks'

Microsoft's SmartGlass and Microsoft's Halo 4 apparently aren't quite getting along on Windows Phone 8 devices. Using SmartGlass, Halo 4 players can normally access their stats and other info about their android supersoldier using the long-established Waypoint service -- except for Windows Phone 8 users, apparently. A forum thread dating back to Halo 4's November launch highlights the issue -- as Xbox.com forum user "Scion Eon" puts it: "Whenever I try to log into SmartGlass on my phone while playing Halo 4, I am immediately greeted with a message that says 'Your device is missing certain required features.'" As it turns out, Mr. Eon isn't the only one experiencing said connectivity issues -- specific to Windows Phone 8 devices -- and Microsoft's aware of the situation.

"We are aware that there is an issue with the Xbox SmartGlass experience for 'Halo Waypoint' on Windows Phone 8 devices, which may prevent users from accessing Halo 4 player stats," a Microsoft rep told us this afternoon. Thankfully, Redmond's also taking care of a solution. "We are actively working on a fix and expect to have a solution within the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as this gets resolved and apologize for any inconvenience this causes," the statement reads. Of course, should you want to access Halo 4's Waypoint functionality on SmartGlass before that fix, you can always use Microsoft's competitor's devices. But then who'd do that?

[Thanks Colin!]

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Source: Xbox.com

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By: Dilusha On 12:40 AM

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Deleted data caused last week's Netflix outage

So what caused that outage of Netflix on Chrismas Eve, just as you were set to watch  "It's a Wonderful Life" streamed to your mobile device? Well, as it turned out, the problem was caused by an accidental deletion of data on Amazon Web Service. Amazon posted a summary of the events that led up to the outage which started at 3:24pm EST. Amazon says that the number of its subscribers that were affected were limited to those on the East Coast using a service that counted on the Amazon Elastic Load Balancing Service. Even then, only a small portion of those using ELB service were affected.

The data deletion was done inadvertently by a maintenance process run accidentally by one of the few developers with access to this area and the mistake was not noted at first. When the problem started, Netflix started focusing on the API errors, but it took some deep digging to find the root of the problem.

It wasn't until 3:05pm EST the next day, which was Christmas, that Netflix reported that the service was up and running. To make sure something like this doesn't happen again in the future, changes have been made to prevent accidental modification without approval. Additionally, Netflix says it has learned how to get the service up significantly faster in the unlikely event that the same events happen again.

source: AmazonWebServices via Electronista

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By: Dilusha On 10:58 PM

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Windows 8 previews to go dark in 3 weeks

Computerworld - Microsoft's free previews of Windows 8 will expire next month, giving users about three weeks to upgrade to a paid copy or face hourly restarts.

All three Windows 8 previews -- the Developer Preview of September 2011, the Consumer Preview of February 2012 and the Release Preview -- expire Jan. 15, 2013.

Windows 8 Release Preview, the third and final of the sneak peeks, appeared May 31, five months before the new OS launched in retail on Oct. 26.

The Tom's Hardware blog first reported on the impending expiration of the previews.

Microsoft long ago spelled out what happens to the previews after Jan. 15.

"You have no right to use the software after the expiration date," stated the Release Preview's end-user license agreement (EULA). "Starting from the expiration date, you may not be able to access any unsaved data used with the software. Any applications you receive through the Windows Store will also cease to be available to you in future versions, unless they are made available for re-download and you re-acquire them. You may not receive any other notice."

The previews will also automatically restart every one or two hours -- it's unclear which, since a Microsoft support document notes both -- and messages will pop up on the screen telling customers that they must upgrade to a paid license.

In fact, a message will appear two weeks before the deadline -- in other words, starting on Jan. 1 -- notifying users that the previews will soon expire.

People using the previews can upgrade to the paid version, although Microsoft has warned that such a move definitely doesn't transfer applications. According to the "Upgrade to Windows 8" page, Developer and Consumer Previews copy files to Windows 8, putting them in a folder named "Windows.old" where they can be retrieved manually. Release Preview-to-Windows 8 upgrades retain the user's personal files, but nothing more.

Experts, however, have figured out how to trick Windows 8 into doing a credible upgrade from both the Release and Consumer previews.

A downloaded upgrade to Windows 8 Pro costs $39.99 through Jan. 31, 2013. After the discount ends, the upgrade will likely jump to $199.99.

See more Computerworld Windows 8 launch coverage including news, reviews and blogs.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about Windows in Computerworld's Windows Topic Center.

The next big breakthrough in IT management is here. Learn how you can reduce change risk, speed incident resolution, and improve visibility across your environment with Social IT Operations Management.

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By: Dilusha On 9:58 PM

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This Week's Top Comedy Video: Samuel L. Jackson and Anne Hathaway Have a Sad-Off

This Christmas, you'll have your pick of not one but two righteously depressing movies hitting the theaters. But between Django Unchained and Les Miserables, who's the saddest sack of all? Samuel L. Jackson and Anne Hathaway try to settle this once and for all.

To be honest, the answer probably comes down to how well you tolerate people breaking out into song mor than any plot point. Full video below:

Click to view

The rest of this week's top comedy videos, including a horrifying Santa Clause, a Kung Fu Mom, and a Looper sex paradox can be found over at Splitsider.

Other highlights from the week in comedy:

- NBC is rumored to be replacing Jay Leno with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2014. Here are our Top 12 Jimmy Fallon replacements, should this happen.

- Jon Dore and Rory Scovel did a Conan bit for the history books.

- Netflix added a bunch of fake movies and TV shows from Arrested Development to its Watch Instantly menu.

- Jenny Slate was cast as Jean-Ralphio's twin sister Mona-Lisa on Parks and Recreation.

- Judd Apatow's latest, This Is 40, was released and drew mixed reviews.

- With Scott Aukerman's weekly live show Comedy Bang Bang gone, we pondered the future of the L.A. stand-up scene.

- We interviewed top stand-ups Kumail Nanjiani and Ted Alexandro and the folks behind the web series Window Dressing.

- We visited the set of Portlandia.

- We looked back on Julia Louis-Dreyfus's three season at SNL, the swiftly-canceled apocalyptic Fox sitcom Woops!,

- We dreamed about comedy documentaries on Chris Rock, Robin Williams, and Lorne Michaels's last year on SNL.

- We recommended a bunch of podcasts and the Twitter feed of Mary Kobayashi (@MaryKoCo).

Splitsider is a website about comedy and the people who create it. It covers movies, TV shows, web videos, books and any other format that exists to make you laugh.

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By: Dilusha On 8:00 PM

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Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet it really is time to start panicking - it's only 10 days until the Big J's big day.

If you're feeling flushed, you might like to check out some of the awesome tech we've been testing this week. If you're not feeling flushed, you should probably check them out anyway just to be safe.

Samsung Galaxy Camera review

It may not be the best compact camera on the market, but the Samsung Galaxy Camera is certainly one of the easiest and most fun to use. The image quality is also good, way beyond what the average phone can produce and on a par with some of the most popular compact cameras on the market. Enthusiasts are likely to be willing to forgive it any image quality shortcomings because they want it to take more creative shots than their phone can manage and then share them with their friends and followers. It is also smaller, lighter and better connected than DSLRs and CSCs. For the moment the price seems very high compared with compact cameras such as the Panasonic TZ30, although it is low in comparison with a smartphone such as the iPhone 5. When Samsung first announced the Samsung Galaxy Camera, we were told the price would be around £100/$160 less than it is on sale for now. While we can expect the price to drop over the coming months, consumers are currently being asked to pay a high premium for the camera's connectivity and Android operating system.

Sony Xperia Tablet S review

The Sony Xperia Tablet S does so many things right but many other things wrong. As a portable music player it's almost unrivalled, it's pretty good for video too in a lot of ways, but the poor screen resolution holds it back from being brilliant. The build quality is great; it's got a powerful 1.3GHz quad-core processor and the inclusion of an SD card slot helps set it apart from the iPad 4 and the Nexus range. But the battery life is terrible and the camera is glitchy, plus it's a bit of a disappointment even when it does work. All in all it's a tablet of two halves, and some of its missteps are forgivable given the fairly reasonable price tag of £329/AU$539/US$399.99 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. But others are harder to overlook.

Philips 46PFL9707 review

Wrapped in both the finest brushed metallic build quality around and an Ambilight glow, and supplied with an innovative and powerful speaker system, the Philips 46PFL9707 is special in so many ways. A new user interface proves flexible, and the TV's keyboard-backed pointer remote dazzles, though it's mixed brightness sequences and total black that are this Direct LED-backlit LCD TV's clear highlights. It's just such a shame that Net TV offers few apps and, worse, that 3D is plagued by crosstalk. Still, spin a Blu-ray disc and the Philips 46PFL9707 is capable of producing the best-ever black levels, contrast and detail from an LED-backlit LCD TV. Mixed brightness sequences amaze, and rarely look processed. Net TV is much improved, largely because of the new double-sided remote control - another slab of high quality hardware - and its clever cursor-style navigation.

Acer Aspire S7 review

When it comes to Windows 8 a user's experience will be tied directly to the device that they're using. To that end, the Acer Aspire S7 is a great way to experience Windows 8. With its sleek design and top-notch specifications this is the perfect companion for road warriors. We really liked the inclusion of the Intel Core i7-3517U processor, it's super fast and efficient, and the lovely 13.3-inch screen and 256GB are both pleasing features. The battery life with this device is great and the fact that it's only 2.9lbs means that we'll be rocking this baby for a while. But we were somewhat disappointed with the flimsy Bluetooth mouse and iffy touchpad, and it's a bit expensive, too. We don't think these drawbacks should be deal breakers.

Nokia Lumia 820

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

Steelseries Flux headset

Samsung 840 Pro 256GB review

Intel Core i7 3970X review

AMD FX-4300 review

Linksys EA6500 review

Sony VAIO Tap 20 review

PC Specialist Vortex III 680 review

Hands on: Canon 6D review

YouView from BT review

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 7:36 PM

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Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet it really is time to start panicking - it's only 10 days until the Big J's big day.

If you're feeling flushed, you might like to check out some of the awesome tech we've been testing this week. If you're not feeling flushed, you should probably check them out anyway just to be safe.

Samsung Galaxy Camera review

It may not be the best compact camera on the market, but the Samsung Galaxy Camera is certainly one of the easiest and most fun to use. The image quality is also good, way beyond what the average phone can produce and on a par with some of the most popular compact cameras on the market. Enthusiasts are likely to be willing to forgive it any image quality shortcomings because they want it to take more creative shots than their phone can manage and then share them with their friends and followers. It is also smaller, lighter and better connected than DSLRs and CSCs. For the moment the price seems very high compared with compact cameras such as the Panasonic TZ30, although it is low in comparison with a smartphone such as the iPhone 5. When Samsung first announced the Samsung Galaxy Camera, we were told the price would be around £100/$160 less than it is on sale for now. While we can expect the price to drop over the coming months, consumers are currently being asked to pay a high premium for the camera's connectivity and Android operating system.

Sony Xperia Tablet S review

The Sony Xperia Tablet S does so many things right but many other things wrong. As a portable music player it's almost unrivalled, it's pretty good for video too in a lot of ways, but the poor screen resolution holds it back from being brilliant. The build quality is great; it's got a powerful 1.3GHz quad-core processor and the inclusion of an SD card slot helps set it apart from the iPad 4 and the Nexus range. But the battery life is terrible and the camera is glitchy, plus it's a bit of a disappointment even when it does work. All in all it's a tablet of two halves, and some of its missteps are forgivable given the fairly reasonable price tag of £329/AU$539/US$399.99 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. But others are harder to overlook.

Philips 46PFL9707 review

Wrapped in both the finest brushed metallic build quality around and an Ambilight glow, and supplied with an innovative and powerful speaker system, the Philips 46PFL9707 is special in so many ways. A new user interface proves flexible, and the TV's keyboard-backed pointer remote dazzles, though it's mixed brightness sequences and total black that are this Direct LED-backlit LCD TV's clear highlights. It's just such a shame that Net TV offers few apps and, worse, that 3D is plagued by crosstalk. Still, spin a Blu-ray disc and the Philips 46PFL9707 is capable of producing the best-ever black levels, contrast and detail from an LED-backlit LCD TV. Mixed brightness sequences amaze, and rarely look processed. Net TV is much improved, largely because of the new double-sided remote control - another slab of high quality hardware - and its clever cursor-style navigation.

Acer Aspire S7 review

When it comes to Windows 8 a user's experience will be tied directly to the device that they're using. To that end, the Acer Aspire S7 is a great way to experience Windows 8. With its sleek design and top-notch specifications this is the perfect companion for road warriors. We really liked the inclusion of the Intel Core i7-3517U processor, it's super fast and efficient, and the lovely 13.3-inch screen and 256GB are both pleasing features. The battery life with this device is great and the fact that it's only 2.9lbs means that we'll be rocking this baby for a while. But we were somewhat disappointed with the flimsy Bluetooth mouse and iffy touchpad, and it's a bit expensive, too. We don't think these drawbacks should be deal breakers.

Nokia Lumia 820

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

Steelseries Flux headset

Samsung 840 Pro 256GB review

Intel Core i7 3970X review

AMD FX-4300 review

Linksys EA6500 review

Sony VAIO Tap 20 review

PC Specialist Vortex III 680 review

Hands on: Canon 6D review

YouView from BT review

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 6:19 PM

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Explode the myths around Apple TV in this week's tech. magazine

Apple TV - find out more with tech.

This hottest weekly magazine around is out today, and issue three of tech. magazine for iPad delves into the myths and rumours around the fabled Apple TV.

But the fun doesn't stop there, after you've paused to check out the interactive cover you'll be checking into a magazine chock full of the biggest stories, best pictures and finest writing of the week in the world of technology.

We start with the revelation that the Pebble watch isn't that great at telling the time, and move swiftly through the Twitter-Instagram feud and the changing world of Spotify before pausing to ask if Ashton Kutcher is really the man to play a young Steve Jobs and just what all this talk of HFR and The Hobbit is all about.

Also on the agenda is a head to head between two Android-toting cameras and a look at 10 alternatives to the mooted Apple TV.

You can check out reviews of the Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook, the Samsung Galaxy S3 now it has the Jelly Bean Android update and, not forgetting, the Mac mini.

And you'd be a fool to miss out on the weekly look at seven things to watch, see and do this week.

Even better, you can still pick up five free issues of tech. by signing up for the year for just 35p/50c per issue.

So what are you waiting for? You can get tech. on Newsstand for your iPad right now - and every Thursday.

Tech. is the essential new weekly iPad magazine from the makers of TechRadar.

Learn more

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By: Dilusha On 12:18 PM

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