Higgs boson pioneers are knighted by the Queen
Two UK scientists connected to the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 have been awarded one of Britain’s highest honors. As part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, professors Tom Kibble and Tejinder Virdee were knighted for their roles in helping find the elusive “god” particle, although they did so in very different ways. Kibble is widely revered for his co-discovery of the Higgs mechanism in the mid-1960s, which helped explain why the particles have mass. Virdee, on the other hand, played a crucial role in developing the concept of CERN’s particle-detecting Compact Muon Solenoid (or CMS) in 1990. Decades later, scientists at CERN detected the Higgs boson using CMS and another detector, ATLAS.
The award is particularly sweet for Professor Kibble, after he was overlooked for the Nobel Prize in Physics last year. Peter Higgs, after whom the particle is named, and Francois Englert were chosen to receive the award, excluding the three other physicists who first developed the theory. Tom Kibble was one of the three, with Gerald Guralnik Carl Hagen also missing out. Higgs was quick to highlight Kibble’s exclusion, noting that he was “the obvious candidate” to be the third scientist honoured by the Nobel Committee (awards are limited to three recipients). You can read more about how the pioneering work of Higgs, Kibble and Virdee influenced the discovery of the Higgs boson here, here and here.
[Image credit: Imperial College London]
Source: BBC News
Engadget giveaway: win a Cloud Frame and 1TB of storage courtesy of nixplay!
Let’s face it, we all probably know someone who isn’t online (or doesn’t quite know how to get there). So having a way to share our endless stream of food pics family photos to a frame in their home or office, without any effort on their part, seems like a sine qua non. Nixplay offers just that with its digital Cloud Frame, and the company has given us two of the 15-inch models and 1TB of cloud storage for a pair of lucky Engadget readers this week. The frame let’s you curate slideshows using its web interface and even lets you pull in content from your social media hubs like Facebook and Instagram. You can also set up an address book and share photo sets to different Cloud Frames anywhere in the world, as long as they’re connected to WiFi. Just be careful, this isn’t SnapChat and the photos will be on display to anyone in the room. You can enter up to three times, so just head down to the RaffleCopter widget below for your chance at winning this Cloud Frame and online storage combo.
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. Two (2) winners will each receive one (1) nixplay 15-inch Cloud Frame W15A and 1TB (one terabyte) of cloud storage.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. nixplay and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until June 18th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt
Apple Settles State and Consumer Class Action E-Book Price Fixing Lawsuit [Mac Blog]
According to a letter filed in the Southern District Court of New York, Apple has reached an out-of-court settlement with both class action lawyers and state district attorneys over e-book price-fixing, reports Bloomberg.
Settlement details remain sealed and must be approved by the court. If approved, this agreement will end litigation ahead of a potentially costly damages trial that was slated to begin July 14. Apple faced more than $800 million in damages in this class-action antitrust lawsuit involving both consumers and states.
Steve Berman, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said by phone that all the U.S. attorneys general and consumers settled the case. Berman said he filed a memorandum of understanding with the court under seal, which prevents him from describing the agreement.
In an earlier decision, Apple was found guilty of conspiring to fix e-book prices in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of its preparations for launching the iBookstore alongside the iPad in 2010, Apple sought to weaken Amazon’s hold on the industry and change the business model that governed the sale of e-books, an effort that resulted in higher prices for consumers. Apple filed an appeal in that case earlier this year.
The better looking twin: The Quad HD Oppo Find 7 is now available for Pre-order
One of the most intriguing devices announced this year has been the Oppo Find 7, however only its lesser equipped twin, the Oppo Find 7a has been available so far. The two devices, the Find 7 and Find 7a, were announced at the same event, however presumably due to supply constraints on the Quad HD displays, the more powerful Find 7 has not yet been released. Thankfully though, it looks like its absence is coming to an end as the Quad HD Oppo Find 7 is now available for pre-order on Oppo’s website now, which shipment coming in July.
The Find 7 is available in U.S. and international variants and are both available in either Astro Black or White; unfortunately the Find 7 is not available in Midnight as the Find 7a was. For you patience, the Find 7 will go for $599 USD, only $100 more than the Find 7a while offering the faster Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM, 32 GB storage, that Quad HD display and a 3,000mAh battery. Of course, far more attractive than the specs themselves, the Find 7 offers the ability to take 50MP photos thanks to Pure Image 2.0, a new Oppo technology that stitches together multiple pictures to give you a higher resolution photo.
Are you interested in the Oppo Find 7 now that it is available for pre-order? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Oppo Style via TalkAndroid
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Garmin’s new app lowers the price of premium navigation
While Garmin is no stranger to mobile navigation apps, it has continued charging $30 or more for its StreetPilot software even after breaking out some components as in-app purchases. That’s a hard bargain in an era when phones offer GPS tricks like lane assistance for free. Clearly, the company is aware of this discrepancy — it just unveiled Viago, an app for Android and iPhones that tries to bridge the pricing gap. Fork over $2 ($1 until July 13th) and you’ll get worldwide maps alongside lane assistance, realistic junction views, speed limits, weather and traffic. You only pay more for the features you want, and some of them are unique — Real Directions gives you directions based on landmarks rather than street names, while Active Lane Guidance simplifies taking that next off-ramp.
Viago is likely to be a better deal than earlier releases, especially now that the interface is simpler and less focused on replicating dedicated nav units. However, Garmin still faces an uphill battle. Some of the features the company wants you to buy, such as offline maps and mass transit directions, are available for no charge on both Android and iOS. With upgrade prices typically ranging between $5 and $20, you may have to shell out a lot more than $2 to equal or beat what your handset can already do. If you’re eager for a do-it-all mapping tool, however, Viago is ready and waiting.
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Mobile
Source: Garmin
Uber and other taxi apps score a victory as Seattle has a change of heart
Uber’s having a pretty tough time over in Europe, but it’s having a luckier streak in the US. After Seattle city council members upheld their decision to place limits on private taxi companies like Uber earlier this year, the city has now reversed that decision, allowing each service to operate free of extra restrictions. They will, however, have to adhere to a few minor rules. Geekwire reports that Uber, Lyft and Sidecar will need to be licensed as as transportation network companies so that they (and their drivers) can meet insurance requirements. Seattle officials also scrubbed the 150-driver limit that was placed upon them (Uber says it has around 1,000 drivers in the city alone). Cab drivers will enjoy less regulation as a result and the city will issue 200 new licences over the next four years, striking a fairer balance for regular taxi companies. Although Uber and Lyft drivers will be forced to jump through a few additional hoops, the agreement is a massive win for the startups that they represent. Regulators in other cities seeking to enforce stricter limits on private hire companies could turn to Seattle for inspiration, but will experience vocal opposition from taxi firms regardless of what they decide.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Geekwire
Astronauts on the ISS are getting their very own espresso machine
One of the biggest complaints from Italian astronauts is the lack of fresh espresso. At least, that’s according to the Italian coffee brand, Lavazza, which has an obvious interest in the matter. At least the company is ready to do something about it, however, by giving those aboard the International Space Station a proper caffeine fix. The Italian coffee maker has teamed up with aerospace company Argotec to create the ISSpresso: a specially-modified coffee machine that’s capable of delivering “authentic Italian espresso” in space.
Because it’s not as simple as pouring fresh coffee into a cup, the team adapted various parts of the machine to overcome the various physics and fluid dynamics challenges they might encounter in zero gravity. This included swapping plastic water tubes for steel tubing capable of withstanding pressure over 400 bar and integrating backups of all the components — a safety requirement by the Italian Space Agency. The ISSpresso will be delivered in November this year by Air Force Captain Samantha Cristoforetti, who will become the first Italian woman in space and the first person to enjoy an espresso shot in orbit. She’ll have to sip it from a small pouch using a straw, but she’s probably not going to argue, as long it’s left to cool slightly first.
How cool is that? During #Futura42 I’ll get to operate the first space espresso machine! http://t.co/k3RgiF6cai pic.twitter.com/FN9j6V0rmf
– Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) June 15, 2014
Filed under: Transportation, Science, Alt
Via: Forbes
Source: Lavazza
Lock down your Apps with Lockdown Pro [App of the Day]
Everyone appreciates privacy, and sometimes just having a pin code or unlock pattern on your device is not satisfactory enough to feel like your information contained within your device is protected enough – especially if you’re wife insists on knowing that unlock code!
This is where Lockdown Pro steps in as it provides a way of restricting access to certain apps and information such as emails, messages, and even photos.
In addition to being able to lock down specific apps, it can also restrict installing/un-installing apps, and even incoming calls.
Lockdown Pro features include:
- One-tap to lock Apps.
- Auto lock new-install app.
- Taking pictures after wrong password.
- Auto send email with some info and pictures of the person who wants to access your phone.
- Auto lock & unlock when you get in/out your setting locations.
- Auto lock & unlock when connect/disconnect with wifi.
- Active lock apps with a SMS
- Three password modes: Pattern Lock, Classic Lock & Calculator Lock
- Fake Error Message (Distract from unauthorized access.).
- Random keyboard password
- Time pin password (Ex: If the time is 13:12, your PIN will be 1312)
- Themes store (so many beautiful themes for your choice)
- Screen timeout: The screen will never turn off when running registered app
- Auto-Rotate: The screen of your device will not auto-rotate when running registered app.
- Prevent uninstall Lockdown Pro & clear the memory on some devices (Activate Device administrator)
- Lock Deactive Device administrator
- Hide Lockdown Pro icon (Remove Lockdown Pro icon on App Draw & Home screen)
Lockdown Pro is completely free and isn’t even ad-supported. So if you’re wanting to restrict certain parts of your Android device from prying eyes, then check out Lockdown Pro in the Google Play Store.
The post Lock down your Apps with Lockdown Pro [App of the Day] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Live on YouTube app lets you stream videos straight from the Sony Xperia Z2
So, you want to go on a trip and be able to livestream your epic adventures to friends at home or even to fans, eh? We’re sure you’ll find a way to do so, but if you live in one of the countries where the Sony Xperia Z2′s available (US folks might have to wait a bit more), you can pick it up and download the Live on YouTube app. As the name implies, the app gives you the power to broadcast to an audience via YouTube, whether it’s the whole world or just a select few on private mode. To be able to use it, though, you need to enable the feature on YouTube’s features page and you need to have an Xperia Z2 — while it’s an app for Xperia devices in general, it’s exclusive to this particular model at the moment. Of course, you’ll also need a power source to charge often and a steady internet connection, so don’t count on it to keep you company during nighttime treks across the wilderness.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Sony
Via: Phandroid
Source: Xperia Blog, Google Play
Aston Martin will use solar panels to keep race car drivers cool
What’s a fairly low-powered solar panel going to get you on a 600 horsepower car? Plenty, according to Aston Martin, which is set to install one of the roof of a Vantage GTE race car for the World Endurance Championship. The luxury car company said it’s not looking at thin-film solar “because it’s a green option,” but rather as a way to gain an edge over its competitors. Aston Martin will use it it to power the Vantage’s air conditioning unit — à la Toyota’s Prius — which is required by the rules to keep drivers from overheating. That’ll take the burden off the car’s engine, meaning it’ll sip less gas and thus run longer. The system wasn’t ready for the premier race in relatively cool LeMans, France, but will be set to go for the next one in Austin, Texas — where it can get a tad hotter.
Filed under: Transportation, Alt
Source: Autoblog
AIVAnet 