Archive for May 7th, 2009

With all of those crazy defense contracts Lockheed Martin has goin’ on, you’d think the company would have its act together as far as the need to hold down its data goes — but according to The Daily Mail, this may not be the case. Researchers at BT’s Security Research Center have found an overwhelming amount of sensitive data on hard drives purchased through computer fairs and auctions as a part of a recent study, including: bank account details, medical records, and confidential business and financial data. Although many organizations were found to be at fault, the most troubling (sensational) instance included test launch procedures for Lockheed Martin’s THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system, found on hardware purchased from eBay. Also on the same disk were security policies, blueprints, and employees’ personal info. When asked for a comment, a spokesman for the company stated that “Until Lockheed Martin can evaluate the hard drive in question, it is not possible to comment further on its potential contents or source.” It looks like we’re not getting to the bottom of this one any time soon, but in the meantime: if any defense contractors have any questions on the subject, we’ll be happy to help.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Storage

Study finds that Lockheed Martin needs to stop disposing of hard drives with top secret data intact originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The BBC has already proven itself to be quite the source for some impressive HD images, but the network’s Natural History Unit looks to have really outdone themselves for their forthcoming South Pacific documentary, which makes use of a modified, $100,000 TyphoonHD4 camera. Of course, those exact modifications appear to be a closely-kept secret, but it has apparently been outfitted with a special underwater housing designed by German high-speed camera expert Rudi Diesel, and the camera itself is able to shoot in high definition at 20 times the speed of a normal HD camera, which results in some pretty amazing super slow motion footage. You can get a taste of that after the break but, trust us, you’ll want to head up the read link below to really get a sense of what this thing is capable of.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV

BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As we noted when we heard about our nomination for this award, it’s not about the prizes and plaques for us at Engadget. That said, when news came down the line that we’d won the EPpy Award for “Best Consumer Technology Blog,” we did feel a pang of pride. It’s always nice to be recognized for doing solid work, especially when that work is something you truly love.

We won’t bore you with any sappy acceptance speeches, but we will say that we’re psyched to be able to bring tech news to you guys every day. Next up for us? We’re gonna keep on keepin’ on — and we’ve got some pretty cool stuff in the works.

Stay tuned… it’s going to be an amazing year!

-Team Engadget

Filed under: Announcements, Meta

Engadget wins the 2009 EPpy Award for Best Consumer Technology Blog! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes 30 frames per second is enough to catch your summer moments. Sometimes, though, you need to re-live things in super slow-mo, and for those times Casio’s EX-FC100 should have you covered with its 1,000 fps capture mode. We’ve got one in-house for testing and we’ll be posting up full impressions soon (along with some gratuitous footage of random high-speed hijinx), but for now check out some time-lapse photography of how this one escaped from its cardboard confines.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Casio’s 1,000 fps Exilim EX-FC100 unboxing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is not the first time we’ve heard talk of an Apple media download kiosk, nor does it seem any more plausible this time around, but who knows? According to patent docs dredged up by Apple Insider and dating back to the halcyon days of late 2007, the company has certainly put some thought into this, detailing a wireless iTunes station that would allow users to access the iTunes store on the go, using a “virtual physical connection” to the player. As for the kiosk, it would both access media stored locally (perennial faves and new releases) and the rest of the iTunes store over its Internet connection, with users ponying up by either providing their iTunes account credentials or by credit card. Not a bad idea, eh? Well, we won’t hold our breath. One more pic for you after the jump, jump, jump…

[Via Apple Insider]

Continue reading Apple ponders kiosk-style movie and music downloads

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple ponders kiosk-style movie and music downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/MPAA_suggests_teachers_videotape_TVs_instead_of_ripping_DVDs’; So the Copyright Office is currently in the middle reviewing proposed exceptions to the DMCA, and one of the proposals on the table would allow teachers and students to rip DVDs and edit them for use in the classroom. Open and shut, right? Not if you’re the MPAA and gearing up to litigate the legality of ripping — it’s trying to convince the rulemaking committee that videotaping a flatscreen is an acceptable alternative. Seriously. It’s hard to say if we’ve ever seen an organization make a more tone-deaf, flailing argument than this.

Take a good look, kids. This is what an industry looks like right before it dies. Video after the break.

[Via BoingBoing]

Continue reading MPAA suggests teachers videotape TVs instead of ripping DVDs. Seriously.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

MPAA suggests teachers videotape TVs instead of ripping DVDs. Seriously. originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear’s latest gaming desktop doesn’t arrive with any 3D goggles or fairy dust, but it does boast a nice sheet of specifications and a surely polarizing motif. The relaunched F131 offers gamers quite a lot of options, providing a choice between AMD’s Phenom II or Intel’s Core i7 and even the ability to shove a trio of ATI Radeon 4890 graphics cards in there for triple-digit frame rates. Deep-pocketed consumers can also get 8TB of HDD space, acoustic dampening technology for whisper quiet operation, Maingear‘s M.A.R.C. custom laser etching and upwards of 12GB of DDR3 RAM. The newly decorated F131 is up for order now starting at $1,299, but it doesn’t take long to push that figure well beyond the two grand mark.

Filed under: Desktops

Maingear freshens up F131 gaming desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We wouldn’t carve this in stone quite yet, but we’d say that points-to-dollars conversion from Sony’s official ‘Rewards’ site is pretty legitimate. The outfit’s highly anticipated OLED Walkman, which we had the pleasure of toying with earlier this week, is now listed in 16GB and 32GB forms at SonyRewards. While no ship date is given, we are told that the smaller of the two will run members 29,995 points, while the larger one demands an extra 10,000. For those who only speak real currency (you know, like Schrute Bucks), that translates to $299.95 and $399.95, respectively. Furthermore, the first official OLED Walkman accessories have popped up, proving that a leather case / kickstand, clear screen protector and a hard plastic shell will be made available. Oh, and Sony — any moment now would be great for a confirmation.

[Via SonyInsider]

Read – 16GB OLED Walkman
Read – 32GB OLED Walkman

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sony’s OLED Walkman priced in the US… sort of originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/NIN_iPhone_App_Approved_for_Apple_App_Store’; We don’t know why and we don’t know how. We only know that Trent Reznor is saying that the updated iPhone NIN application has finally been approved. In his tweet Trent states the following:

NEWS FLASH: Apple has approved the NIN iPhone app update. Should be live in a few hours.

Whatever the reason for the turn-around — Trent’s expletive-ridden rant or the fact that the developer at one point had pulled any links to the offending “Downward Spiral” album — let’s hope these nerd-fights end once the App Store gains some parental controls.

Update: Reznor followed-up with this, “The NIN iPhone app is unchanged, the “issues” seem to have been resolved.” Looks like Apple caved under intense criticism.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Apple caves: NIN App Store update approved ‘unchanged’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Kindle DX launch might have sparked a wave of hype about the next generation of newspapers, but not everyone’s so quick to agree: Dallas Morning News CEO James Moroney told a Senate subcommittee yesterday that the Kindle isn’t a “platform that’s going to save newspapers in the near term.” According to Moroney, Amazon demands 70 percent of subscription revenue from newspapers, and further requires content owners to grant Amazon the right to republish content to other devices — like, say, the iPhone. That’s a pretty inequitable split, and while we understand that Amazon has to pay for Whispernet somehow, it’s hard to imagine newspaper publishers lining up to wager 70 percent of their digital subscription revenues and a perpetual license to their content on devices that are far from proven. On the other hand, it’s innovate or die time for these guys, so we’ll see what happens — with all the competitors out there poised to make a move, things are about to get interesting.

Filed under: Handhelds

Amazon takes 70 percent of Kindle newspaper revenues originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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