Lasers quickly load thousands of cells with nano-sized cargo
Doctors dream of injecting cells with large nanoscopic cargo to treat or study illnesses. The existing approach to this is extremely slow, however. At one cell per minute, it would take ages to get a meaningful payload. That won’t be a problem if UCLA scientists have their way, though — they’ve developed a technique that uses lasers to inject legions of cells at a time. The concentrated light heats up the titanium coating on a chip until it boils water surrounding the target cells, creating fissures that let the cargo inside. It only takes 10 seconds for the laser to process an entire chip’s worth of cells, and researchers estimate that they could fill a whopping 100,000 cells per minute.
That newfound scale should allow for studies that weren’t possible before. UCLA imagines stuffing cells with mitochondria (the “powerplant” of a cell) to see how mutant genes trigger diseases, and it could also bring antibodies and nanoparticles that fight whatever’s ailing you. It’s going to be a long time before you can expect to receive injected cells when you’re in the hospital, but it’s at least a practical idea.
[Image credit: Eric Pei-Yu Chiou, UCLA]
Filed under: Science
Via: Medgadget
Source: UCLA Newsroom, Nature
iOS apps are secure — it’s ‘security’ advertorials that remain a threat
Another day, another CEO from a “security software” company pens a “guest editorial” saying Apple needs to open up to — guess what? — “security software”.
Just like the last time, the premise is self-serving, the headline spit-take inducing, and it’s absolutely not worth rewarding negative attention seeking with attention. But because every time something like this posted, we get contacted by concerned readers, some of the fear-mongering needs to once again be addressed.
The CEO starts off by saying iPhone and iPad owners aren’t concerned enough about the safety of their devices, despite the “constant news” of hacks and online security breaches. That might be because almost all of the “constant news” pertains not at all to the vast majority of iOS customers — the ones who don’t jailbreak, use pirated app stores, or accept untrusted apps.
Ludicrously, the CEO claims to see the same trend in mobile — though not specifically iOS — as plagued PCs during the 90s and 00s. App Store review gets blamed for being to “human”, customers get blamed for being too dumb to tell cracked apps and clones from the real thing, and Apple and developers get blamed for failing to prevent apps from running on insecure jailbroken devices which are, apparently, popular with users.
And that when the punchline for all the fear-mongering hits — Apple isn’t up to the job of protecting us from all this scary stuff, so they need to open up and allow third-part security solutions on iOS.
It’s probably fairer to say iOS devices is a huge untapped market and “security vendors” will do anything they can, including trying to scare Apple’s customers, in an attempt to pressure Apple into opening up the platform for unnecessary, likely problematic “security software”.
There are real security issues facing iOS and every platform. Apple knows that and has made security, along with privacy, a top tier, customer-facing feature as of late. Handling things like enterprise certificate abuse and the kinds of social engineering attacks that attempt to get customers to strip off protection and install malware are touch problems to solve.
Part of the solution isn’t ‘advertorial’ fear-mongering but informing and empowering people with real information and helping them better use all the existing security features at their disposal.
That might not sell third part security software, but it will legitimately make everyone safer.
ComScore Reports Smartphone Market Share
ComScore just released a report detailing the changes in market share amongst the most popular device and OS manufacturers over that last three months, and the results were less than shocking.
As most of us know, Android is firmly in the lead in number of devices being sold as a percentage of total mobile devices sold, although Apple is the most popular device manufacturer. The past three months didn’t change that, with Android gaining 0.2% market share to bring it to 52.8%. Despite the widespread popularity of the new iPhones 6 & 6+, Apple fell as both a device manufacturer and OS producer, with both falling 0.1% to bring it to 41.7%.
Other winners were LG, with a strong 0.7% gain to bring it up to 8.3% of all devices sold, and HTC, which had a miniscule 0.1% boost to bring it to 3.7%. Samsung lost a sizable chunk, with 1.1% going to other manufacturers and dropping the largest Android manufacturer down to 28.6%.
One big surprise has been Microsoft’s mobile market share performance: the underdog managed to grow once more by 0.1% to 3.5%. One change that surprised no one was BlackBerry’s 0.2% drop to 1.8%.
| Smartphone OEM | Share (%) Nov-14 | Share (%) Feb-15 | Point Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Smartphone Subscribers | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0 |
| Apple | 41.8% | 41.7% | -0.1 |
| Samsung | 29.7% | 28.6% | -1.1 |
| LG | 7.6% | 8.3% | 0.7 |
| Motorola | 5.2% | 5.1% | -0.1 |
| HTC | 3.7% | 3.8% | 0.1 |
| Smartphone Platform | Share (%) Nov-14 | Share (%) Feb-15 | Point Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Smartphone Subscribers | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0 |
| Android | 52.6% | 52.8% | 0.2 |
| Apple | 41.8% | 41.7% | -0.1 |
| Microsoft | 3.4% | 3.5% | 0.1 |
| BlackBerry | 2.0% | 1.8% | -0.2 |
| Symbian | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0 |
For more in-depth analysis, check out comScore’s website.
If you have any market predictions for the next three months, feel free to leave a comment below and start a lively internet debate that will definitely matter.
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Cartoon Survivor is Spunge Games’ debut game, coming to Android soon
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The runner/platforming genre on mobile is by now quite saturated with games of all shapes, sizes and colours, so it takes quite a lot to be noticed. Nevertheless, one title from Brisbane, Australia-based Spunge Games managed to catch my eye, and from the look of the trailer, looks to have put its own unique spin on the genre. Cartoon Survivor, as the story goes, is a TV show that requires a new star after the last hero’s demise – enter Doo Doo, the latest hero to try and survive the prehistoric terrors of Cartoon Survivor. Check out the pre-release trailer below which includes some snippets of gameplay:
As you can see below, each level sees you assume control of Doo Doo as he runs through obstacles and hazards to finish each run before the dynamite on his back explodes. From the look of the art design, Cartoon Survivor looks like it will be a visual feast throughout its four different environments – Spunge Games is a spin-off company from animation company, Liquid Animation, so it’s no surprise there is some visual expertise in there.
Spunge Games says that Cartoon Survivor will be launching on Android (and iOS) in the coming weeks. What do you think about Cartoon Survivor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Powerpod Escape Review: The perfect portable battery for that weekend getaway
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It’s been awhile since we last reviewed a Powerpod portable battery pack, but the Australian-based company hasn’t deviated from its mission to keep your devices powered up during your trips away from home and from continuous power supplies. This time we’ll be looking at the Powerpod Escape, a 10,400mAh battery pack that Powerpod is now offering for trips that might last a little longer than an overnight or weekend stay – let’s check it out.
What’s in the box
Inside the box, it’s a pretty simple affair – you’ll be getting everything you’ll need to get started with the Escape, including the battery pack itself and a microUSB cable that can be converted to a 30-pin Apple plug or a firewire connector which makes it ideal for not only recharging your smartphone but cameras and iPods as well.
On the battery pack itself, you’ll find the microUSB input which charges at 1A, and two outputs, one which outputs 2.1A and the other 1A – a relatively standard layout for the average portable battery pack. Above the outputs, there’s also a thin strip of four LEDs which will let you know how much charge you have left in the battery pack. The Powerpod Overnighter that we checked out before also had a brighter LED which could be used as an emergency flashlight – I’m a bit disappointed the Escape doesn’t have this as well.
How does it perform?
In terms of pure battery charging performance, the Escape does exactly what it says on the box – it will charge your devices with a minimum of fuss and will have you up and running again very quickly. I didn’t encounter any hiccups or issues when recharging with the Escape which is a very good thing when you’re relying on a battery pack to maintain your connection to the outside world.
More quantatively, I was able to recharge my phone from 33% to 96% in just over an hour – at its peak recharge rate, you can expect about 65-70%/hr recharge out of the 2.1A output, a very respectable and reliable figure. This performance was very repeatable and the 10,400mAh battery should have enough juice in it to recharge most every device 2-3 times before needing to be recharged. For those interested, this data was collected using Battery Monitor Widget, available for free from the Play Store.
Just on recharging the Escape, the input is rated at 5V/1A which is a little slow, but thankfully the capacity isn’t too large – 10,400mAh should be able to fully recharge after a night plugged into mains power.
What I don’t like about the Powerpod Escape
In terms of physical usability, I found the Powerpod Escape a little bit unusual. Most portable power packs are flat and rectangular – the Escape is anything but that. While it vaguely retains the common form factor, it is rounded around the edges in what can only be described as a whiskey flask shape. As a result, the Escape is actually really great to hold in your hand (like a whiskey flask). Unfortunately though, this makes it somewhat of an interesting shape when charging your device – more often than not, I rest my phone on top of my battery pack while it charges back up, however with the rounded surface of the Escape makes that a little more unstable. It’s definitely not a dealbreaker, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just interesting to me that the Escape would feel more at home in my hand than it would be sitting on a table. And really, if I’m nitpicking about design features like that, you can probably guess I don’t have anything of substance complain about.
What I like about the Powerpod Escape
There are, however, some design touches that I do like, for instance the main button for checking battery charge – I really like the fact that it is sunken into the face of the device so as not to get any unintentional presses while in your hand or in your bags. I also like that it’s relatively unassuming in appearance – the Escape at first glance doesn’t look that much like a battery pack (more so if you get it in silver or black), which is good or bad depending on how you look at it.
The build quality of the Escape is also top notch. It’s constructed really well with no loose parts inside or outside and the exterior of the battery pack is almost rubbery and looks like it will repel all manner of dirt and survive quite a bit of hardship – it’s always good to know that your battery pack can survive just as much as you can.
Final Thoughts
If you’re after a solid battery pack that has minimal fuss about it, look no further than the Powerpod Escape. It perfectly fits the bill for a power bank that will get you through a camping trip or a weekend away and survive it too. The price tag is a bit imposing at $69.95 AUD – in the Australian retail market, that’s just about normal, but to outsiders the price might seem a bit steep. However, while you might be able to get something a bit cheaper online, you’ll likely sacrifice the build quality that the Escape gives you. And really, when your next charge up is a question mark, is quality really something that you’d take a chance on?
And after all this time, Powerpod is still offering all its battery packs from vending machines all over Australia – hit the link here to see if there’s one near you. For more details about the Powerpod Escape, take a look at its product page here. To learn more about Powerpod, you can visit its main website here.
Gallery of photos
- Solidly made
- Reliable charging performance
- Weirdly shaped
- A little expensive
4.2Overall Score
The post Powerpod Escape Review: The perfect portable battery for that weekend getaway appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Site lists LG G4 features and images, then gets taken down
A site full of information about the LG G4 went live earlier today, and although it’s been taken down, it revealed quite a bit about the device.
One of the most important things detailed was what LG was planning on doing with the leather, and it looks like they’ll be offering some leather versions of the phone. The design takes a cue from what Motorola has been doing with the leather-backed versions of the Moto X, but the G4 definitely has LG’s own unique style to it.
Other hardware looks impressive, including a 5.5-inch QHD screen, f/1.8 aperture lens with a 16 megapixel count, and the elusive removable battery and SD card slot. LG is doubling down on camera software, as the site listed tons of camera features including a manual mode and OIS 2.0, so expect image quality to be a big deal when LG makes the device official.
The link to the actual site is down, but keep an eye on it. Maybe LG will accidentally bring it back up before an official unveiling.
source: @evleaks
Come comment on this article: Site lists LG G4 features and images, then gets taken down
Oops: LG may have revealed the LG G4 and its leather back cover a little earlier than expected
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Good old @evleaks. Despite being retired, leaker @evleaks, or Evan Blass as he goes by IRL, has managed to uncover a website that appears to detail the yet-to-be-announced LG G4. This is our first look at the finished product, and our first look at the new leather back that LG had teased in its last trailer. Unlike the faux-leather backs of the Samsung devices of old, it looks like the LG G4’s leather will be genuine leather, though hopefully this won’t impact the device’s pricing.
The LG G4 appears to be taking a few pages out of the Motorola Moto X’s book as LG will be offering the LG G4 in a variety of colours of leather, as well as what looks like the standard plastic ‘metallic’ finishes that were available on the LG G3 in case leather isn’t your thing. The leather finishes possible include (see image below for exact colour):
- Leather Brown
- Leather Black
- Leather Red
- Leather Skyblue
- Leather Beige
- Leather Yellow
Unsurprisingly, the few pages that are LG G4 specific focus on the new camera on the device, revealed to be a f1.8 lens. In fact, it appears the website might not actually be finished as most of the information on the specifications page appears to be for the LG G3 and not the LG G4, unless we missed something and the new LG flagship is going to ship with a Snapdragon 801 and Android 4.4.2 – we’re expecting a Snapdragon 810 and Android 5.0, for the record. It’s possible that LG will take this page down when it gets wind that people know about it, but then again, the cat’s out of the bag.
What do you think about the new leather LG G4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: LG via Twitter, engadget
The post Oops: LG may have revealed the LG G4 and its leather back cover a little earlier than expected appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
The history of computing, cars from the New York Auto Show and other stories you might’ve missed!
Find out what forty years of personal computing history looks like as we visit The Interface Experience, an exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center’s Focus Gallery in New York. Meanwhile, the New York International Auto show was going on this week and there were some very beautiful cars to check out. Catch up on all of these stories and more in the weekly roundup.
Relive the history of computing at ‘The Interface Experience’
At a time when devices are faster and slimmer than ever, a collection of bulky old computers can be amusing yet surprisingly evocative. The Interface Experience, an exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center’s Focus Gallery in New York, brings on a rush of nostalgia with a ton of vintage machines. Kimon Keramidas, curator and director of the digital media lab, hopes that an interaction with aging technology will make people think critically about their current devices. Unlike the objects that are off-limits behind a glass wall in a museum, the machines at the exhibit are open and quite alive. They’ve been overhauled with custom programs to initiate a three-way exchange with the user, the software and the hardware.
The most beautiful cars at the New York Auto Show
There are a lot of vehicles at the New York International Auto Show, naturally. This year, though, the prominent theme for carmakers, both from the US and abroad, seemed to be bright colors and concept projects. And that is, after all, what auto shows are essentially about. From the new Honda Civic to the Audi A8-esque Lincoln Continental, there’s no doubt that manufacturers aren’t afraid to push the envelope and, in the case of the latter, even borrow some design elements from top-tier competitors. One thing is for sure, however: Many of the rides at the event don’t need Xzibit to show up and make them stand out. So, with that in mind, here are some of the best and most impressive cars from the 2015 New York Auto Show.
MacBook review: Apple reinvents the laptop again
For months, the internet was abuzz with two similar, and somewhat contradictory, Apple rumors. Depending on whom you believed, the famously secretive company was working on either a 12-inch “iPad Pro” or a Retina display MacBook Air. To date, neither of these products has materialized, but there’s reason to believe that both rumors were actually pointing toward the new 12-inch MacBook. The laptop, which goes on sale tomorrow, is in many ways a traditional notebook, with an Intel processor, OS X and a unibody aluminum enclosure similar to what you’ll find on the MacBook Air and Pro.
High-tech TV: How realistic is the hacking in prime-time shows?
A group of five impeccably dressed high school girls are almost murdered dozens of times by the same, mysterious stalker and the police in their idyllic small town are either corrupt or too incompetent to care. How do the girls fight back? Hacking, of course. At least, that’s one way they do it on Pretty Little Liars. “Hacking” is the deus ex machina in plenty of scenarios on Pretty Little Liars and other mainstream programs, allowing people to easily track, harass, defend and stalk each other 30 to 60 minutes at a time.
Snowden shows John Oliver how the NSA can see your dick pics
In a surprise interview with Edward Snowden, John Oliver made NSA spying revelations more relatable to the American public through the topic of dick pics. The HBO comedian, who gives his satire a sharp bite via exhaustive research, traveled to Moscow for a sit-down with the infamous whistleblower. Oliver wasn’t joking around at first when he called a Snowden leak that put al-Qaida intelligence at risk “a fuck up.” He added, “You have to own that. … You’re giving documents with information you know could be harmful.” After an awkward pause, Snowden said, “In journalism, we have to accept that some mistakes will be made.”
Engadget’s new buyer’s guide picks: the MacBook Pro, Moto E and more!
It’s been one busy month for reviews: Engadget has published seven in the past four weeks alone. That means we’ve got quite a few additions to our various buyer’s guides. First up: the HTC One M9. No, we don’t like the camera quite as much as the UltraPixel shooter on last year’s M8, but on the whole, the M9 is still among the best Android handsets you can buy right now. We’ve also made a nod to the new and improved Moto E, which remains one of the best budget phones on the market. Meanwhile, we have not one, but several new favorite laptops.
DJI’s Phantom 3 brings 4K recording to its most popular drone
DJI’s Phantom series of read-to-fly quadcopters have been instrumental in bringing drones into mainstream consciousness. Particularly the Phantom 2 Vision+, which made silky-smooth aerial video possible for have-a-go pilots right out of the box (most other methods involve a fair amount of assembly). Today, the Phantom family grows again with two new members: the Phantom 3 Professional and the Phantom 3 Advanced. So what’s new? And, more importantly, which one do you want?
Despite its looks, this 3D printed violin (probably) won’t kill you
It might not be a Stradivarius, but the violin you see above is pretty impressive on its own merits. For starters, it’s 3D printed and only has two strings. And that’s to say nothing of its appearance; this thing looks like it’d be right at home on The Citadel in Mass Effect. The Piezoelectric Violin (as it’s officially called), was concepted by a pair of architects who tell BBC that the impetus for its creation was realizing that the challenges of their day jobs aren’t all that different from those faced by composers and musicians. It’s still playable by “anyone” too, despite its wild looks.
What it’s like to shop for an Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is unlike any product the Cupertino company has released before. To succeed, it needs to appeal as both a useful gadget and a luxury timepiece that people want to wear on their wrists. With this in mind, Apple has chosen to display its debut wearable in more than just the retail meccas where it normally sells its iPhones, iPads, iMacs and MacBooks. It’s also built special “shops-within-shops” inside a trio of high-end department stores in Tokyo, London and Paris. We visited the one in England, which resides inside the famous Selfridges department store on Oxford Street.
The man who left behind $78 million to revamp a classic space shooter
Eric Peterson has dedicated 20 years of his life to the video game industry, handling development and production in startups and large studios alike. He has a passion for space games, and in April 2012, he helped found Cloud Imperium Games, the studio building Chris Roberts’ massive interstellar simulator Star Citizen. Cloud Imperium has since raised $78.6 million from nearly 900,000 dedicated fans, with more adding to the pot every day; it’s the largest and most ridiculous crowdfunding campaign in gaming history.
Filed under: Misc
LG inadvertently reveals its leather-clad G4 phone a little early
Oops. LG is supposed to be unveiling its range-topping G4 smartphone on April 28th, but well-known leaker Evan Blass has discovered an unannounced product site that reveals a ton about the new Android flagship a couple of weeks in advance. A lot of the text is clearly placeholder material, but there are a few noteworthy revelations here. The G4’s back will have several color options (including multiple shades of real leather), and that super-fast f/1.8 camera is helped out by an infrared color accuracy sensor, second-generation image stabilization and a full manual mode.
Other details you’ve probably seen before — the G4 packs a color-rich 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, the latest version of LG’s custom interface and both a removable 3,000mAh battery as well as a microSD slot. There are still a few tidbits that aren’t mentioned in this unintentional teaser (the specs page largely rehashes the G3’s info), but something tells us that LG’s big event won’t hold a lot of surprises.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Via: Evan Blass (Twitter)
Source: LG
These anti-glare screen protectors for BlackBerry Z10 are only $8.95 today
Designed to protect your BlackBerry Z10’s display while reducing annoying glare at the same time, these invisible protectors are made of an ultra-slim polymer and shield your screen from abrasive elements such as keys and dust. Get this 2-pack today and save 44%
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