The Malaysian Insider :: Technology

Tap-to-share app Bump introduces wireless mobile-to-PC photo sharing

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:09:26 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 26 — Ever wanted to quickly and easily share photos on your mobile with a nearby PC but couldn’t find the right cable? Now there’s no need to go searching for cables. The most recent version of Bump lets you seamlessly and wirelessly upload images to a PC with just a tap. “Starting today (Friday), everyone who uses Bump can go ...

Cool (free) photo apps to try

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:47:05 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — The best thing about using an iPhone as a camera are the hundreds of apps that can tweak, filter, change, stitch, and layer the photos in so many ways a digital SLR can’t. Besides the staple apps like Instagram, Camera+, and Snapseed, what other iPhone photo apps would you need? Here are three apps that we think you should ...

Yahoo! launches new browser for PC, iOS with built in search prediction, syncing

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:19:10 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 — Yahoo! has joined the browser game with Axis, a new internet browser that aims to redefine search. What makes Axis different from other mobile browsers and Google’s Chrome (which recently overtook IE to become the most used browser in the world according to StatCounter), Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox and ...

Top new tech products: US$49 Android PC, high-end waterproof smartphone, Sony NEX-F3 camera

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:25:57 GMT

TOKYO, May 24 — High-tech product releases announced the week ending May 23 include a compact Android PC priced at just US$49 (RM153.85), Sony’s NEX-F3 mirrorless camera, a DSLR camera built for adventurers, a waterproof smartphone with FeliCa, and a 4G mobile hotspot that’s built to travel. A tiny US$49 Android PC that connects you to the web VIA ...

‘Diablo III’ sells 6.3m copies in first week

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:29:04 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 — Diablo III has become the fastest-selling computer game in history, says developer Blizzard Entertainment, with 3.5 million copies shifted during the well-anticipated title’s first 24 hours of availability. The day one sales figure doesn’t include a further 1.2 million players whose copies of the dungeon-crawling, ...

RIM’s head of global sales leaving

Thu, 24 May 2012 01:50:11 GMT

TORONTO, May 24 — The head of global sales at Research In Motion Ltd has resigned to take on a leadership role in another industry, the BlackBerry maker said yesterday, a major blow ahead of make-or-break product launches due later this year. Patrick Spence was a 14-year RIM veteran widely considered a rising star. A spokeswoman for RIM said ...

Apple: US e-book lawsuit ‘fundamentally flawed’

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:39:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 — Apple Inc is rejecting charges that it conspired to fix prices of electronic books, calling the US government’s antitrust lawsuit a “fundamentally flawed” endeavour that could discourage competition and harm consumers. In a filing in US District Court in Manhattan late Tuesday, Apple said it has not conspired with anyone or ...

Jury deals ‘huge blow’ to Oracle in case against Google

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:36:34 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 — Google Inc’s Android mobile platform has not infringed Oracle Corp’s patents, a California jury decided, putting an indefinite hold on Oracle’s quest for damages in a fight between the two Silicon Valley giants over smartphone technology. In a case that examined whether computer language that connects programs and operating ...

Google Doodle celebrates Bob Moog’s 78th birthday

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:09:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 23 — Electronic music fans are revelling in the discovery of today’s Google Doodle: a working web-based synth that lets users tap out a melody while tweaking oscillators and filters. The keyboard can be played using your computer keyboard (hint: tap the numerical keys to reach the black notes) or triggered using your mouse. ...

Does the end justify the means for censorship?

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:30:37 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Mention the “c” word these days, and everyone gets edgy and nervous. After all, the issue of censorship is always a prickly issue, regardless which country you’re from. In a series of articles in The Malaysian Insider some months ago, I advocated against censorship despite the growing worry that the Internet brings evil ...

Microsoft sees ‘rebirth’ with new Windows 8 system

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:55:45 GMT

SEOUL, May 22 — Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 series — featuring an upgraded cloud computing service — marks a “rebirth” of its operating systems, chief executive Steve Ballmer said today. Ballmer described Windows 8 as the “deepest, broadest and most impactful” Windows software ever created by the US tech giant, after the current Windows 7 sold ...

90 million homes around the world to be automated by 2017, says study

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:01:05 GMT

NEW YORK, May 21 — Ninety million residences around the world will have some form of home automation system in place by 2017 according to a study released recently by global technology trend forecasters ABI Research. Home automation systems allow users to control aspects of their home, such as lighting or temperature, and monitor elements such as ...

Twitter joins Firefox effort to thwart online tracking

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:57:05 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 21 — Twitter has taken a stand for online privacy by backing a Firefox web browsing feature that lets people signal that they don’t want their Internet activity tracked. Non-profit foundation Mozilla added a “Do Not Track” option last year that tells websites when visitors don’t want online behaviour noted by snippets of code ...

Apple, Samsung CEOs head to court-ordered play date

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:21:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 — The chiefs of Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are used to running the show at their global tech empires, but they will be in for a different experience when they arrive at a San Francisco federal courthouse tomorrow. Apple’s Tim Cook and Samsung’s Choi Gee-sung, whose companies are embroiled in bitter patent ...

Google says has China’s nod for Motorola deal

Sun, 20 May 2012 10:28:43 GMT

BEIJING, May 20 — Google said yesterday that Chinese authorities have approved its US$12.5 billion (RM37.5 billion) purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world’s No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones. Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset ...

Samsung’s mobile chief says could settle war with Apple

Sun, 20 May 2012 09:40:49 GMT

SEOUL, May 20 — Samsung Electronics’ mobile division chief JK Shin said today the South Korean technology giant was still seeking to resolve differences in its international patent war with Apple Inc. “There is still a big gap in the patent war with Apple but we still have several negotiation options including cross-licensing,” Shin told ...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg marries longtime love

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:11:43 GMT

NEW YORK, May 20 — Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wed longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan yesterday, announcing the nuptials through a status update on the social networking site. The 28-year-old billionaire's wedding took place a day after Facebook's initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange on Friday. More than 280,000 ...

Scott Kelby launches first Google+ Photographer’s Conference

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:38:16 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 — A new conference dedicated to helping photographers improve their skills and promote their work on budding social network Google+ (G+) will launch in May. American photographer, publisher and author Scott Kelby is behind the “history making” Google+ Photographer’s Conference. He spoke with Relaxnews about the rise of ...

NEC unveils gesture-controlling device

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:43:01 GMT

TOKYO, May 18 — Japanese technology titan NEC has unveiled a gadget that allows users to control their TV, mobile phone or tablet computer using a virtual input device. The company said a camera that recognises three-dimensional shapes and their movements will combine with a projector that could show the image of an input device — such as a ...

Google revamps US search

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:53:14 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 — Google is revamping the way it handles searches in the United States, to give users quick access to answers without having to leave the page, the company said. The new search process is based on what Google calls the “knowledge graph” — meaning that it tries to pinpoint faster the context surrounding its users’ keyword ...

Playing more than just Angry Birds

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:56:38 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — Give a child a tablet, and there’ll be no doubt that they’ll be entertained for hours. The concern for many parents, however, is that the hours spent playing games like Angry Birds could be spent learning instead. Here are a few recently highlighted apps for the iOS and Android devices that could help children do just that ...

LG shows off its second generation Google TV

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:04:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 17 – LG is exhibiting its second generation Google TV at Internet Week New York, a city-wide event showcasing the best of the web which runs from May 14-21 in the Big Apple. The LG Smart TV with Google TV G2 Series sports improved Google services, a redesigned user interface that’s easier to use, and LG’s new L9 dual-core ...

What does Facebook’s stock listing mean for users?

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:02:30 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 17 — If you are one of the almost one billion people who use Facebook, you are unlikely to notice any major changes when you sign in this weekend. Facebook’s entry to the stock market — expected tomorrow — will be a timeline-shaking corporate event, but users may find nothing new to like or dislike. Expect the same babbling wall ...

Privacy worries dog Facebook ahead of IPO

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:57:31 GMT

NEW YORK, May 17 — Some 900 million people like Facebook. But when they realise their private information is being bought and sold, some don’t like it so much. The question of privacy and the use of personal data is a key issue for Facebook as the booming social network prepares to list on Wall Street. That is because the freewheeling world of ...

Google Chrome now syncs open tabs across devices in real time

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:40:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17 — The newly released Chrome 19 Stable version of Google Chrome introduces live tab syncing across desktop and mobile versions of the internet browser. For users, this means that they can open a website on their home computer and access the same website when they get to work without having to search for the page again. “When ...