Doctors are ready to test temporary ‘suspended animation’ to save people with severe injuries
It sounds straight out of a bad sci-fi movie: doctors pump patients’ veins full of a preserving agent to keep them in suspended animation. But that procedure could come to a hospital near you in the next few years. The idea is to give doctors a bit more time to treat people with serious trauma. Link to story
Yahoo Acquires Mobile Ad Company Flurry For Hundreds Of Millions
Yahoo is buying mobile ad company Flurry. Flurry is an app analytics and advertising company. News of the acquisition was first reported by Re/code’s Kara Swisher. The acquisition is reported to be in the “hundreds of millions,” according to Swisher’s sources. TechCrunch reports that Yahoo will Link to story
Netflix has topped 50 million streaming subscribers for the first time
Netflix surpassed 50 million subscribers to its streaming video service as the company kept up its torrid growth last quarter. At the end of June, Netflix had 36.2 million streaming subscribers in the US (up 16% from the previous quarter) and 13.8 million in the rest of the world (up 9%). Link to story
Why Samsung Buying SmartThings Should Have Us Worried
These days, every tech giant of note is staking a claim in the smart home, and Samsung’s no exception. In April, the company imagined a universe of smart-home appliances and devices hooking to its smart TVs and apps for automation and control. Now it appears to be rethinking this approach Link to story
Verizon launches Smart Rewards program with tracking
Verizon Wireless is launching a nationwide loyalty program this week for its 100-million-plus subscribers. There’s a twist, though: To earn points for every dollar spent, subscribers must consent to have their movements tracked so the company can help target ads that match their interests Link to story
Another Screen Shot Of The Upcoming Windows Start Menu Leaks
Another week, another leak. Today we have a new, purported screenshot of the upcoming return of the Start Menu to Windows. I won’t bore you; here it is: For reference, here’s the other screenshot that leaked eight days ago – keep in mind the design similarity and implied customizability of the Link to story
The Simpsons’ Amazing New App Includes Every Episode
When a hit show makes its way to cable, it’s not often an especially exciting announcement on the news front – even though those reruns can be hugely successful, such as The Big Bang Theory on TBS. However, The Simpsons coming to cable is obviously a big deal, simply because it took 25 years to Link to story
More People in China Now Go Online With Mobile Devices Than PCs
The number of China’s internet users going online with a mobile device — such as a smartphone or tablet — has overtaken those doing so with a personal computer (PC) for the first time, said the official China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) on Monday. China’s total number of Link to story
Tiny device aims to tell you if your drink has been spiked
The creators of a device designed to identify if your drink has been spiked have launched on Indiegogo with the aim of raising $100,000. Similar in size to a pack of gum, the pd.id can be dunked into a drink, blinking red after a few seconds if a contaminant is found. According to founder Link to story
Tech goodies to bring along on trips
By Anick Jesdanun THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER – Your swimsuit and your sunscreen are in the luggage, and your boarding passes are all printed out.
But did you remember your gadgets and chargers? Did you download enough entertainment? Do you know where you’re going?
In my travels, I’ve come across a number of products and services worth bringing along:
Keeping your gadgets charged:
Duh. You’ll need not only the charging cord, but also the unit for plugging into the wall outlet. Bring a power strip, too, if you’re sharing a room. Otherwise, you’ll be fighting for the few outlets that aren’t hidden behind furniture or dangerously near a sink. If you’re going abroad, bring adapters and make sure your chargers will work with the voltage there.
Also consider ways to keep your gadgets charged during the day. If you’re driving, bring a USB charger that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter. There are also portable chargers you can plug gadgets into. Some phone cases also serve as spare batteries. You can pick up some Personalisierte Handyhülle online at sites like meinefotohandyhuelle.de if you want the personal touch.
One product that stands out is Mophie’s Space Pack for the iPhone 5 and 5s. It not only doubles battery life, but also gives you additional storage for photos and videos. A 16-gigabyte version retails for $150, while a 32-gigabyte one costs $180. A 64-gigabyte version starts selling next week for $250.
With it, I get about two full days of general phone use. It’s clunky to use, though. The iPhone uses its own power first, and you recharge the iPhone battery by switching on the Space Pack’s battery. If you forget to switch it off, the pack’s battery will continue to drain, even after the iPhone is fully recharged. The pack itself also takes a while to recharge – typically about four hours in my tests.
You need Mophie’s free Space app to copy photos and other content to the Space Pack’s storage. You then delete those files from the iPhone. It’s like having an external hard drive and having to manage what goes into it. Once I move photos to the pack, I’m not able to view them through the phone’s Photos and iPhoto apps.
Because of these constraints, and the fact that the case is bulky and heavy, I’m better off with a regular, unpowered case when I’m near chargers. The Space Pack is good for trips and other times I know I’d be draining the battery or filling up the phone’s storage faster than usual.
Keeping organized:
I’ve been a loyal user of TripIt since I reviewed it in 2007. Back then, it was strictly a website for organizing your travel plans. Now, there are apps for various mobile devices. The apps remind you where to go next and offer easy links to your phone’s mapping apps for directions.
TripIt automatically creates a day-by-day itinerary based on all the flight, hotel and other confirmation emails that you forward to it. TripIt automatically pulls out flight numbers and seating information from the email, while adding useful information such as gate numbers. For hotels, TripIt pulls out addresses and check-in times. You can add notes such as the hours for a national park you’re visiting.
TripIt proved helpful this spring when I went with two friends to Yosemite National Park in California. I forwarded everyone’s flight confirmations to keep track of who was arriving when. I added details on hikes we were planning and the dress code for a fancy dinner. I then shared a link with everyone. TripIt also kept track of buses, subways and ferries I needed in Chicago, Denver and San Francisco.
The basic service is free. I haven’t found a need to pay $49 a year for TripIt Pro, which offers information on alternate seats or flights and ways to track frequent flier programs. TripIt Pro also offers alerts when gates and departure times change, but I get those free anyway as TripIt tries to show the benefits of upgrading.
Beyond TripIt, you might want to download apps for your airline. In many cases, you can check in and get a boarding pass on the phone – no printing needed.
Keeping entertained:
You might want to download some books, magazines and video ahead of time for when you don’t have a good Internet connection.
If you’ll be driving, consider an FM radio transmitter. These gadgets transmit whatever’s playing on your digital music player over an open frequency on the FM dial.
I bought Griffin’s iTrip from a Best Buy in Minnesota in 2009 for about $50. It has become essential for all my road trips. I simply plug the iTrip cord into my iPod’s headphone jack. I then tune the car radio to an open FM frequency that iTrip finds for me. Podcasts, audiobooks and regular music come over the car speakers.
There are separate models for Apple devices depending on the type of charging port it has. For other devices, use the iTrip Auto Universal Plus, which uses the standard headphone jack. If you’re getting Space Pack, you’ll want this universal version, too, as the case covers up the iPhone’s regular port. This model also has a USB port to charge gadgets while driving.
These transmitters don’t work well in urban areas, where there aren’t many free frequencies. Also, sound quality isn’t as good as what you normally get over the radio. But it beats silence. Beware that other motorists within 30 feet might also be able to tune in to what you’re listening to.
