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Google's Official Chat Extension Frees Chat from Your Browser Tabs, Lets You Start IMs and Hangouts from Anywhere [Instant Messaging] | Lifehacker

Whitson Gordon — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:30:00 -0600

Chrome: Google's chat feature is useful for sending quick IMs and starting video chat sessions, but you can only view it when you're on a Google page like Gmail. Google has released an official Chrome extension that detaches it from your browser, allowing you to view it no matter what web page you're viewing.

This extension has actually been out for awhile, but was Chrome OS only. Now, you can grab it for Chrome on other platforms, letting you carry on chats, make voice calls, and even start Google Hangouts right from your desktop (my personal favorite feature). It doesn't have support for phone calls with Google Voice, which is kind of a bummer—that would take this from "cool" to "fantastic"—but it's helpful all the same, especially if you're tired of switching back to your Gmail tab to chat. Hit the link to check it out.

Chat for Google is a free download, works wherever Google Chrome does. Of course, if you want more than just Google Talk on your desktop, you can always install a multi-protocol instant messaging client like these instead.

Chat for Google | Chrome Web Store via #tips

M3 Android NFC Communicator mixes something old, something new for prepaid subs | Engadget

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:16:00 -0600

Malaysia may not be on the tip of anyone's tongue when wireless comes to mind, but that's not stopping local outfit DMD Mobile from attempting to make its mark. Set for an official unveiling at next week's Mobile World Congress, the M3 Android NFC Communicator is the outfit's clumsily titled stab at the prepaid market in South Asia and the Middle East. The touchscreen handset, to be available in both 2.6-inch portrait QWERTY and 3.2-inch candybar form factors, comes loaded up with a surprising mix of last- and current-gen specs: 650Mhz single-core CPU running a skinned version of Gingerbread 2.3.5, support for dual-band HSPA+ (850 / 2100MHz) and quadband GSM, VGA front-facing / 3MP rear cameras, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and NFC. Sure, it's not the most thrilling of forward-looking devices to surface this year, but priced at RM500 (that's about US$165), it's certainly more of a great deal than it is bargain bin entry. Hit up the source below for additional info on this low-hanging mobile fruit.

M3 Android NFC Communicator mixes something old, something new for prepaid subs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Star | DMD Mobile | Email this | Comments

Remains of the Day: Mobile App Markets Agree to New Privacy Standards [For What It's Worth] | Lifehacker

Jeremy Hoag — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

The app markets move for clearer app privacy policies, the EU is getting cold feet on ACTA, and state attorneys general have issues with Google's all-in-one privacy changes.

Apple and Other Mobile App Distributors Agree to New Privacy Policy Notification Standards: California's Attorney General brokered an agreement between Apple, Google and other app vendors to put in place more consistent standards for app privacy policies and make the policies more visible in their markets. [Macrumors]
Acta: EU Court to Rule on Anti-Piracy Agreement: The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is headed to the EU's highest court to determine whether it violates basic rights or freedoms. [BBC Technology]
State Attorneys General: Google Privacy Changes Appear to Harm Consumers: The majority of state attorneys general signed a letter to Google's CEO condemning the move to effectively migrate user information from any Google service to all Google services by combining their privacy policies. [The Washington Post]
Twitter Is Testing Auto-Translate Feature: A small number of Twitter users are already seeing the option to translate tweets using Bing Translator. [Mashable]
Feds Request DNS Changer Extension to Keep 400K Users Online: Systems still infected with the DNS Changer virus are currently routed through replacement DNS servers, scheduled to be taken offline March eighth. [Computerworld]
Asus to Transformer Owners: "Here Is Your Unlocked Bootloader. Happy Now?": Asus provided the unlocker in app form while making it clear that actually using the app voids all warranties. The unlocked bootloader will enable installation of custom ROMs and kernels on the Transformer Prime. [TechCrunch]

SanDisk makes 128-gigabit flash chip, crams three bits per cell, takes afternoon off | Engadget

James Trew — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:37:00 -0600

SanDisk has developed a chip that earns it membership in the exclusive 128-gigabit club. Not content with simply matching the Micron / Intel effort, SanDisk and its partner Toshiba claim their new memory uses 19- rather than 20-nanometer cells in the production process. Shrinking the size is one thing, but SanDisk's new chips also use its X3 / three-bit technology. Most memory stores just two bits per cell; cramming in another means fewer cells, less silicon, more savings, cheaper memory, happier geeks. Analyst Jim Handy estimates that the price per gigabyte for the tri-bit breed of flash could be as low as 28 cents, compared to 35 for the Micron / Intel equivalent. Full details in the not-so-compact press release after the break.

Continue reading SanDisk makes 128-gigabit flash chip, crams three bits per cell, takes afternoon off

SanDisk makes 128-gigabit flash chip, crams three bits per cell, takes afternoon off originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google adds Esperanto to Google Translate, making it the 64th supported language. Neniel! | The Next Web

Matthew Panzarino — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:32:08 -0600

Google has today announced that it is adding the artificial language Esperanto to its Google Translate product. The language, which was crafted by Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof and published in 1887 book Unia Libro.

It was designed as a common language that all people could share and, 125 years later, has hundreds of thousands of active users, some few hundred of which learned it from birth via their parents.

Google implies that addition of the language a largely symbolic measure, designed to emphasize the fact that both Google Translate and the Esperanto language were created to further the goal of helping people understand one another. Google says that the team was actually stunned by how well the machine engine handled the language.

For Esperanto, the number of existing translations is comparatively small. German or Spanish, for example, have more than 100 times the data; other languages on which we focus our research efforts have similar amounts of data as Esperanto but don’t achieve comparable quality yet.

Google attributes the ease of translation of the language to the fact that it was constructed in a way that was easy for humans to learn and therefore is easy for machines to translate. You can try out the new language on the Google Translate site now.

With that, I leave you with this clip of the film Incubus, starring William Shatner and shot entirely in Esperanto. Sadly skipped over by the 1965 Academy Awards committee.

How to Disable Ubuntu's Annoying Global Menu Bar [Linux Tips] | Lifehacker

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:30:00 -0600

Ubuntu's new Unity interface has some cool features, but if it's global menu bar just gets on your nerves, here's how to turn it off.

This trick will get your menu bar—that is, the bar with the File, Edit, View, and other dropdown menus—back into each individual window, rather than on the top menu bar. The global menu bar saves space, but can be confusing since it hides the menus by default, and especially annoying if you use multiple monitors and don't want your menus too far out of reach. Luckily, to bring back the old fashioned menus, you just need to run the following command in a Terminal:

sudo apt-get autoremove appmenu-gtk appmenu-gtk3 appmenu-qt

Then, restart your apps and you should see the menus back where they belong. In Firefox, you'll need to go into Tools > Add-Ons and disable the Global Menu Bar Integration extension as well. Hit the link to read more, including how to restore the global menu bar if you want it back.

Disable the Global Menu (AppMenu) in Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10 | How-To Geek

Get inspired by General Assembly’s new video series: Stop Talking. Start Making. | The Next Web

Harrison Weber — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:26:42 -0600

General Assembly, one of the 5 coolest coworking spaces in New York City, has long offered an impressive set of classes to its community. And in part a promotion for GA’s brand-new online program, Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, the team has created a truly impressive video series.

The series, wisely named Stop Talking. Start Making, packs face-to-face advice from some of NY’s top entrepreneurs, like David Kelley (Founder of IDEO & Stanford’s d.school), Bre Pettis (Founder of Makerbot), Hosain Rahman (Founder of Jawbone) and Mike Bloomberg (Founder of Bloomberg L.P. and NYC Mayor).

Getting advice from such big names in the industry is a priceless opportunity for young founders, designers and developers. If you’re at all interested in the business of changing the world and making a lot of money, you’ll probably want to check out the whole series via the link below (and then go make something amazing).

While you’re at it, definitely take a peek at General Assembly’s upcoming online class. It’s sure to fill up quickly, so you’re best bet is to put your name in before everyone else does.

“Turn your coffeeshop conversations into a company people love.”

➤ Stop Talking. Start Making

Take that, Viagogo: ‘The Great Ticket Scandal’ gets greenlight from UK high court | The Next Web

Anna Heim — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:26:28 -0600

Have you ever bought tickets on a fan-to-fan reselling website? Well, maybe you should cross ‘fan-to-fan’; if the UK’s Channel 4 is to be believed, many of these sellers are not who they think they are.

This is what British viewers will discover watching in the next episode of the investigative documentary ‘Dispatches’ this Thursday. Yet, ‘The Great Ticket Scandal’ went within hair’s breadth of not airing, as the website viagogo made an injunction attempt.

As Channel 4′s Dispatches announced, the application was dismissed on all counts at the High Court today. This means the program will be broadcast as planned, but leaves us with a question: why is viagogo so worried about the show?

Well, it seems the program contains juicy accusations that are likely to generate a large amount of bad press for the website. Here’s an excerpt from Dispatches’ release:

“viagogo say they are websites where “real fans” can resell tickets they can no longer use.

However, ‘The Great Ticket Scandal: Dispatches’ which airs Thu 23 Feb at 9pm on Channel 4 reveals that:

“The majority of tickets offered for sale through viagogo are not from individual fans but from large scale professional ticket resellers or tickets allocated by promoters to viagogo.

viagogo staff compete directly with real fans to buy tickets from primary ticket sellers, like Ticketmaster, for in demand events as soon as they go on sale. To get around systems put in place to prevent bulk buying of tickets, viagogo staff use multiple credit cards registered to different addresses.

viagogo has a special team dealing with large scale professional ticket resellers – known as “power sellers”, or “brokers” who account for a significant percentage of overall ticket sales on their exchange.

Large-scale ticket reselling has spread beyond the traditional rock and pop gigs. Dispatches found tickets offered for resale way above face value on ‘fan to fan’ exchanges for England’s 6 Nations rugby games; Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor live tours; West End shows; National Gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibition; and even The Last Night of the Proms.

Secondary websites like viagogo have obligations to be honest to the public under consumer legislation and a leading expert says that some viagogo practices contravene legislation.”

In other words, Dispatches claims disintermediation isn’t quite working, as most of the tickets are sold by professional resellers. Even more appallingly, viagogo staff themselves are accused of taking part in these distortions.

While buyers think they are getting fair and transparent access to second-hand tickets, this could be very far from reality. This could also explain the claim that many shows go on sale at high prices on ticket reselling websites minutes after they have sold out.

In this context, viagogo could appear as the bad guy when trying to silence a show instead of engaging in a public debate and making constructive answers.

However, viagogo’s discontent may also have to do with Dispatches’ methods; as a matter of fact, its injunction application was brought on the grounds of ‘breach of confidence’.

In a preemptive letter to its customers, the CEO of the ticket reselling platform Seatwave, Joe Cohen, also criticized undercover filming as unjustified in the development of this program. However, Seatwave decided to take the high road and not openly criticize the documentary’s content before it airs.

Do you think there such a thing as a ‘great ticket scandal’? Let us know in the comments.

Projector mapping morphs a mixer and turntables into a DJ’s dream GUI | The Next Web

Brad McCarty — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:07:56 -0600

When the bridge was built that enabled DJs to use vinyl records in order to manipulate music on their computers, it was an historic moment in DJ history. But ever since that day, DJs have had to look at their computers in order to see what’s going on with their music.

You see, DJ’ing might be heavily about sound, but there’s a visual portion which can’t be ignored. When DJs spun traditional vinyl records, the shape of the grooves could tell the DJ what was about to happen. When we moved over to digital vinyl systems, we lost the definitions in those grooves, and instead landed on a record that looks the same all the way across. In order to see what was coming up in the track, we had to look at the computer (or CD player) screen.

But what if there was a way to take the UI of the apps that we use and to project that directly onto our mixing surfaces? If these guys have anything to say about it, that’s exactly where the next step of DJing will go:

“It’s a user interface for Serato Scratch Live that is vinyl rotation reactive, as well as sound reactive, and makes it possible to mix using Serato without having to look at your computer screen whatsoever. We have real-time waveforms across our mixers, or our vinyl platters, and we have started to incorporate video effects that are controlled by wii remotes.”

Take all of my money.

Adafruit's Internet of Things Printer combines your love of information, receipts | Engadget

Brian Heater — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:01:00 -0600

Love staying connected and using excess paper? Adafruit's got your back with its latest project. The Internet of Things (IoT) printer goes online via an Ethernet jack, printing up data on 2.5 inch wide receipt paper. You can print things like Twitter feeds, news briefs or sports scores using its open source software. Putting the box together requires some soldering and an Arduino, but once you're done, you'll finally be able to live out your fantasies of becoming an old timey stock broker. Video of the printer with a slightly grating Twitter song soundtrack after the break.

Continue reading Adafruit's Internet of Things Printer combines your love of information, receipts

Adafruit's Internet of Things Printer combines your love of information, receipts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tomahawk Combines Your Local Music with Spotify, Grooveshark, and Others to Put Virtually Any Song at Your Fingertips [Video] | Lifehacker

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:00:00 -0600

Windows/Mac: Tomahawk is a free desktop music player that combines your local library with the libraries of our favorite streaming music services, like Spotify, Grooveshark, and more, so you don't need to open a multitude of separate players to listen to your music.

We love streaming services, but none of them have a perfect selection, and it would be nice if you could combine them all into one service. Tomahawk does this, starting off with your local library and letting you add extensions—called resolvers—to bring in libraries from services like Spotify, Grooveshark, Last.fm, Soundcloud, YouTube, Ex.fm, and even 4Shared. That way, you have the best of each library, without any of the holes. The player isn't anything too special otherwise, but then again, neither is Spotify's or Grooveshark's.

You'll need a premium account for the services like Spotify and Grooveshark, and you may need to grab the extensions from Tomahawk's web site—some aren't included with the program—but overall, it's pretty simple to build up one streaming library to rule them all (now if only they had Rdio, too). Check out the video above to see it in action.

Tomahawk is a free download for Windows and OS X.

Tomahawk | via Cult of Mac

OnLive Desktop launches 'Plus' subscriptions, puts IE in your iPad | Engadget

Sean Buckley — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:42:00 -0600

OnLive has already given Microsoft loving iPad owners a hefty, gratis helping of Windows 7, but that doesn't mean they haven't been building a paywall. What's behind the freshly dried brick and mortar? OnLive Desktop Plus, an optional, subscription based upgrade that touts new features for users who are willing to pay a fee. Five dollars a month buys you a cloud-accelerated web browser (that would be Internet Explorer 9, complete with fully functioning Adobe Flash and Acrobat plug-ins) and priority access to the OnLive Desktop service -- freeloading "standard" subscribers can only access the service on an as-available basis. OnLive says that the cloud powered browser's full Windows experience finally gives the iPad full Flash compatibility, giving you the chance to feed your nostalgic need to watch cartoons check their email. We got an early look at the app, read on for a quick hands-on and OnLive's official press release.

Continue reading OnLive Desktop launches 'Plus' subscriptions, puts IE in your iPad

OnLive Desktop launches 'Plus' subscriptions, puts IE in your iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EventFarm takes on Eventbrite with a major update to its mobile check-in app | The Next Web

Harrison Weber — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:39:06 -0600

EventFarm is an online ticketing and guest registration startup from DC that’s like Eventbrite on steroids. Instead of being built around a main site and templates, EventFarm is a true platform where brands get all the attention.

The company works on multiple levels within the event space and has already racked up an impressive client list since we first wrote about them as part of the emerging DC startup scene. Big clients include Facebook, Google, Conde Nast, Time Inc. and NBC Universal.

Within the event industry, EventFarm functions as a set of solutions for brands, digitally handling the registration, email invites, seat inventory and so on. Not too long ago, the company released its mobile check-in app and now the startup has just released a major update, with the ability to purchase tickets right from the app. From here on out, EventFarm is taking on the likes of Eventbrite and even Ticketmaster.

The new release allows events of all types to sell tickets at the door. It’s available for both iOS and Android Devices using ROAM Data‘s encrypted swipe technology to process credit card payments and track cash transactions.

Like all of the startup’s products, everything on the app is fully customizable, letting you even hone in on the subtle details of how the check-in app actually looks to your guests. For the perfectionist or even anyone who simply doesn’t like giving some other brand all the attention, this is the app for you.

In comparison, eVite and Eventbrite put themselves front and center. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, but for costly and significant events, the odds are you need a solution that features you first. In the slightly more high end space, there really aren’t any other tech startups pulling this off.

If you’re thinking of hosting an event in the future, check out the app via the link below. You can use this app separately for feee or as a part of the entire platform — it all depends on you and what you prefer.

➤ Eventfarm via the App Store and the Android Market

Malata's 2012 / 2013 roadmap reveals a very tablet-friendly future | Engadget

Edgar Alvarez — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:36:00 -0600

Chinese manufacturer Malata is relatively unknown in the tablet universe, as it hasn't been in the spotlight since showing off its SMB-A1011 back in 2010. Now, the outfit's quietly unveiled a roadmap that's got more than a handful of noteworthy slabs in sight. The company plans on launching a variety of Tegra 3-packing slates dubbed SMB-B1023, including a 7, 9.7 and 10.1-inch version, all of which are said to be sporting ICS. Furthermore, Malata plans to rollout port-heavy variants of the aforementioned that'll be rocking USB, mini-USB and card reader ports, though these won't be tasting any Ice Cream Sandwich. While tabs are obviously the main focus, the company's also planning to bring along a 5-inch handset blessed with Gingerbread to compete with the likes of the Galaxy Note or that shiny new LG Optimus Vu. Let's hope Malata makes a MWC appearance so we can give some of these our full hands-on treatment.

Malata's 2012 / 2013 roadmap reveals a very tablet-friendly future originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily App Deals: Get Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended Student and Teacher Edition for Windows and Mac for only $39.80 in Today's App Deals [Deals] | Lifehacker

Dusty Wright — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:30:00 -0600

The Daily App Deals post is a round-up of the best app discounts of the day, as well as some notable mentions for ones that are on sale.

The Best

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended Student and Teacher Edition (Adobe) Previously $199, now $39.80. Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended Student and Teacher Edition for Windows or Mac is Adobe's flagship photo editing/creation tool, now available for 80% off for those that have a .edu email account. This deal is also valid for those that would rather purchase Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection Student and Teacher Edition as well as a few other Adobe products. Get it for $39.80. (via LogicBuy)

Free

iOS

Media-Stream | iTunes via Apps-aholic | Previously $1.99
HiCalc PRO - 12 Calculators in One | iTunes via Apps-aholic | Previously 99¢
Syncy - Facebook Sync | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously 99¢
Times Tables Warp | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $1.99
Nostalgio | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $2.99
Calq | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously 99¢

Windows

PDFZilla | PDFZilla via LogicBuy | Previously $29.99, now Free using coupon code AQ1W6F0ZN7Q9D85

The Rest

iOS

Tip Sheet | iTunes via Apps-aholic | Previously $1.99, now 99¢
CrazyRemote Pro | iTunes via Apps-aholic | Previously $19.99, now $9.99
Record - Voice Recorder | iTunes via Apps-aholic | Previously $1.99, now 99¢
Video Pano 360 | iTunes via Apps-aholic | Previously $1.99, now 99¢
MegaWeather HD | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $3.99, now 99¢

Android

Transparent Screen PRO | Android Market via Apps-aholic | Previously $1.99, now $1.39
Sundroid Pro | Android Market via Apps-aholic | Previously $2.99, now $1.49
My Expense Tracker | Amazon Appstore via LogicBuy | Previously $2.99, now $1.99
PocketMoney | Amazon Appstore via LogicBuy | Previously $4.99, now $2.99

SCEA Senior VP hints Hulu may be headed to PS Vita | Engadget

Edgar Alvarez — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:13:00 -0600

By now, we're sure you have that shiny new PlayStation Vita all unboxed and have logged several hours on the thing playing games, Tweeting and watching vids on Netflix. But, if those apps we told you about earlier weren't enough to fulfill your entertainment needs, you'll be happy to know there could be more in stock for you. SCEA Senior VP Guy Longworth may have spilled the beans when he told The Hollywood Reporter "we have a partnership with Netflix and Hulu; this is a new way for them to distribute content." An interesting statement given the fact there's no Hulu app available now that Vita has launched. Good news is, the previously unknown hook-up indicates we may be be able to catch some episodes of Gossip Girl at some point in the future on our monstrous quad-core handheld.

SCEA Senior VP hints Hulu may be headed to PS Vita originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DualShockers | The Hollywood Reporter | Email this | Comments

Chaotic Moon's Board of Awesomeness gains mind controls, becomes Board of Imagination | Engadget

Michael Gorman — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:11:00 -0600

Remember the Board of Awesomeness we took for a spin back at CES? Well, the folks from Chaotic Moon went back to the lab to make it even better with a new control system, swapping out the Kinect sensor bar for an Emotiv EPOC headset and re-christened it the Board of Imagination. So, instead of using your hand to control the throttle, you simply visualize and focus on where you want to go, and the headset tells the board how fast to go to get there. The brains of the thing are still housed in a Samsung slate running Windows 8, and it can still shred asphalt at speeds up to 32mph, but now it's a truly mind-blowing experience. Don't believe us? Check out the Board of Imagination in action after the break.

Continue reading Chaotic Moon's Board of Awesomeness gains mind controls, becomes Board of Imagination

Chaotic Moon's Board of Awesomeness gains mind controls, becomes Board of Imagination originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners | Engadget

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:01:00 -0600

The California Attorney General has struck a deal with the world's major app store opperators that will see new privacy policy standards put in place. Apple, Google, Microsoft, HP, RIM and Amazon have all agreed to require any software that uses personal information to provide a privacy policy that can be viewed in the store before an app is downloaded. The agreement will bring the various markets in line with the California Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires developers provide such a policy. In addition to providing links links to the relevant documents in an obvious and consistent location, the companies will have to offer a simple way for users to report devs that violate the rules. For more details about the deal check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners

New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MacRumors | California Department of Justice | Email this | Comments

How to Sell Your Excess Crap for Cash in Just a Few Hours with Amazon's Fulfillment Program [Selling Online] | Lifehacker

Adam Dachis — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:00:00 -0600

Got crap? Want money instead? Amazon has a neat program that essentially lets you dump old books, movies, gadgets, and more in a box, send it to them, and then wait for the money to roll in. Here's how you can start using it and sell your stuff in no time.

How Does FBA Work and Why Should I Use It?

The name of the program is Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Although it is designed to let sellers with high inventory have sales, shipping, and customer support handled entirely by Amazon, you can use it too. The primary advantage of using the FBA program is convenience. You basically dump your crap in a box, tell Amazon what's inside of that box, print out a shipping label, and schedule a pickup request. The process generally takes an hour or two, unless you have more stuff than you could ever possibly sell, and if you've already got the box(es) you're going to use you don't even have to leave your home. When Amazon gets the box, they'll post all your items for sale on their product pages and people will be able to buy them. Amazon will ship the items out for you in their own packaging and handle any customer issues that may arise post-sale. For these services you pay a small storage fee, $1 for shipping and handling, and the commission you'd pay for selling on Amazon in general. Although this service is really great, there are a few downsides you should be aware of:

It's not great for cheap items, such as used books or DVDs nobody wants anymore. Basically, if you can't sell your item for over $4 you probably won't make much money using this service. When you add items to your inventory, however, Amazon will tell you what you'll make when/if the item sells so you'll know before you send it in.
Not every item is sellable through this service. While you can generally add anything you could sell yourself on Amazon.com, sometimes Amazon will require certain packaging to be present so they can more easily add it to their system. Basically, if you're missing a bar code or ISBN you might have trouble adding it to the system—but this is not always the case.
Although the process is really easy once you get started and you understand what you're doing, it's a little cumbersome at first. If you get annoyed easily or are just in a bad mood today, you might get a little frustrated. You've been warned!

If that all sounds good, you're ready to get started.

Okay, Sold! Now How Do I Get Started?

Before you can start the selling process, you're going to need to do the following:

Assuming you already have an Amazon account, sign up for an Amazon Seller account. Just click "Sell Your Stuff" and skip the professional option—it costs money.
Add FBA to your seller account.
Go get some boxes. (Or have a few delivered.)
Get all your excess crap together and grab your computer.

Once you've done all of that you're ready to get started.

How to List Your Items with FBA

Every time you use FBA, you have to manage your inventory by boxes. If you're only sending Amazon a single box of stuff, this is very easy because you only have to manage one box listing on FBA. If you're sending multiple boxes, you have to simply create a new box every time you fill one up with crap you want Amazon to sell for you. This method is used so the Amazon employees that unpack your boxes and stick them on the shelves for sale will be able to easily and efficiently find the items you have listed. Just follow these steps to create your first "box" and fill it up with inventory:

Sign in to Amazon Seller Central (if you haven't already) and hover over the Inventory menu. A few options will drop down. Choose Add a Listing.
Enter in the name of the product you want to sell and click Search. (Alternatively you can enter its UPC, EAN, ISBN, or ASIN if you know it.)
When your choices appear, select the correct one by clicking the Sell Yours button.
The next page looks a little more complicated, but the only things you need to fill out are the item condition, the price, and the quantity. If it isn't already selected, you'll also need to tell Amazon this is an FBA item. You do that by selecting the radio button next to "I want Amazon to ship and provide customer service for my items if they sell." When you're done, Click Save & Finish. (You do not need to click next, as those other options are reserved for people with professional accounts.)
If you're a new seller, Amazon will probably present you with a page that's asking you to make sure you're not selling anything hazardous, prohibited by law, alive, is capable of killing someone, and so on. (You know, nothing fun.) Click the Send Inventory button to move on.
On the next page, you'll need to let Amazon know where the items are shipping from. Most likely, this will be your default address and it will be filled in for you already. If you need to change it, however, just click the Change Address button to do so. Second, you'll need to tell Amazon you're sending them a bunch of items in one box. Right now you probably have the Individual Items option selected, but you need to switch that to Case-Packed Items. You'll notice this changes the inventory list below and there are a couple of fields to fill in: Units per Case and Number of Cases. If you're selling one book, you'd just fill in the number 1 for both of these. If you were selling one six pack of soda, you'd enter 6 units per case and 1 number of cases. If you were selling two of the same DVD, you'd enter 1 units per case and 2 number of cases. Got it? Click continue.
Amazon will now use your address to find the closest facility. I'm in Los Angeles, so I was assigned to PHX3 (Phoenix, AZ). You'll now be asked to name your shipment. FBA will automatically provide you with a generic name, which you can keep if you want or change it to something more interesting (like "Magic Pony Surprise Shipment"). Once you've settled on a name, click Save & Continue.
If that was all your were going to ship, you'd be done creating your box—but you're not. To continue adding more of your crap, just follow these steps again. When you get to step 7 (the previous step), however, you'll now be able to choose Add to an Existing Shipment rather than being forced to create a new one. Just choose the shipment you've already created for your previous items to keep them all bundled together.

How to Ship Your Boxes

When you add an item, be sure to add it to the box it's going to be shipped in—or at least keep all the items grouped together—so you don't lose track of which item belongs in which box. Once you've got all your boxes done, there's just a little more work to do to get your items to Amazon:

After adding your last item to a box, you can click the Work on Shipment button to start the shipping process. Alternatively, you can always find your FBA shipments by choosing Manage FBA Shipments from the Inventory menu. You'll find the Work on Shipment button next to any unfinished boxes on the resulting page, too.
After clicking the button, look over your shipment to see if there are any last-minute changes you want to make. If not, click Save & Continue.
You'll now be taken to the item labeling page where you can print out labels for all of your items. Do that, attach the labels to your items, and click Save & Continue.
Now you get to pick the size of your shipment and the carrier you want to use. Choose SPD because you're not shipping much. LTL is for shipping pallets that are at least 150 lbs. That better not be you. On the other side of the screen you want to choose Amazon-Partnered Carrier (which is usually UPS). This will let you buy a label from Amazon at a discount and have the carrier come pick up your stuff. You can choose another carrier and ship everything yourself, but we're going to assume that you want the easiest possible method. When you're ready to move on, click the familiar Save & Continue button.
It's packing slip time! Choose how many packing slips you want to print. You're going to need to put one in the box, but you might want to keep one for yourself because, you know, who doesn't love a packing slip? Enter the number you want to print, click the Print button, and pack it in your box along with everything else. This time, when you're ready, just click Continue. (There is no need to save!)
On the next page, enter the dimensions of your box and its weight. If you can't measure the weight exactly, use this method and round up. Click the Save button (this time you don't have to continue) and then, once your information has saved, click the Get Cost Estimate button.
The resulting page will give you a shipping estimate and ask you to agree to be charged for that amount. Agree and then click Accept Charges & Continue.
Print your label, stick it on the box as instructed, and schedule a pickup with the carrier (or just drop it off at a shipping store/facility)

Although there are a lot of details necessary to get everything in order with FBA, once you've finished your first box you'll get the hang of it and will be able to breeze through the process. If you want to sell a bunch of your stuff, you can do it much faster and without the headaches that often come with online sales by using this service. Once Amazon receives your shipments and sells your items, you'll be able to transfer all the money you made right into your back account. It's very useful and a great way to get money for crap you don't want without much effort on your part.

(Most of the) illustrations by Leremy.

CA Attorney General says Apple has agreed to disclose app privacy policy BEFORE download | The Next Web

Matthew Panzarino — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:57:42 -0600

Following several weeks of controversy surrounding the way that applications were handling customer data, the California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that several companies with a stake in the app game have agreed to new privacy protections for users of apps.

The agreement signifies a change from the way that the App Store currently works (emphasis ours):

This agreement will allow consumers the opportunity to review an app’s privacy policy before they download the app rather than after, and will offer consumers a consistent location for an app’s privacy policy on the application-download screen.

As of now, the privacy policy for an app is largely given inside the app and there is no indication before downloading of what the policy is and what permissions the application has to access customer data.

An example of an App Store app’s download screen shows that there is a listing of the rating of the app and requirements for use, but no indications of privacy or permissions:

Conversely, this description from the Android Market clearly shows the permissions afforded the app and even itemizes what personal information might be used by the app:

The new rules are designed to bring the app industry into compliance with a California law that requires all apps have a privacy policy in place that users have easy access to. Many apps, says the AG’s office, do not have a privacy policy at all. The report also notes that if “developers do not comply with their stated privacy policies, they can be prosecuted under California’s Unfair Competition Law and/or False Advertising Law.”

There will also be tools provided that allow users to report apps that do not comply with the policy, reports that must be acted on by the companies in order to respond promptly.

“Your personal privacy should not be the cost of using mobile apps, but all too often it is,” said Attorney General Harris.

“This agreement strengthens the privacy protections of California consumers and of millions of people around the globe who use mobile apps,” Attorney General Harris continued. “By ensuring that mobile apps have privacy policies, we create more transparency and give mobile users more informed control over who accesses their personal information and how it is used.”

Harris says that an agreement has been reached with Amazon, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research In Motion, the companies that make up the bulk of the mobile apps market.

This is a developing story, please refresh for the latest information.

Huawei Prism, HTC Ville may be heading to T-Mobile in April? | Engadget

Brad Molen — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:52:00 -0600

HTC and Huawei are both expected to bring their A-game to MWC. What exactly that entails remains a mystery, thanks to both companies keeping their lips sealed. And while we're still not completely sure as to what secrets these devices still hold -- or even their official names, for that matter -- TmoNews picked up a leaked screenshot that shows off a list of upcoming accessories on T-Mobile, some of which are for the HTC Ville and Huawei Prism in April. Does this guarantee that we'll see both devices featured on the GSM carrier? Not at all, but stay tuned over the next few days because we have a feeling more answers will come pouring in soon.

Huawei Prism, HTC Ville may be heading to T-Mobile in April? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magnetic retainer lets you operate machinery with your tongue, gives linguistics new meaning | Engadget

James Trew — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:36:00 -0600

Many people with debilitating conditions rely on sip and puff technology to get around, which is relatively lo-fi by some standards. Now, a special retainer with magnetic sensors could bring mobility into the smartphone age. Developed at Georgia Tech, the Tongue Drive System uses a magnetic piercing to track lingual gestures. The sensors then transmit data to an iOS app that translates it to on-screen or a joystick movement. Earlier versions used a headset, but the prototype revealed at the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, is hoped to be more comfortable and discreet. The system is currently being trialled by 11 participants with high-level spinal-cord injuries, with larger trials planned.

Continue reading Magnetic retainer lets you operate machinery with your tongue, gives linguistics new meaning

Magnetic retainer lets you operate machinery with your tongue, gives linguistics new meaning originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Challenge: Did Jefferson Think She Was, or Wasn't, a Pirate Ship? [Search Research] | Lifehacker

Daniel M. Russell — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:30:00 -0600

Googler Daniel Russell knows how to find the answers to questions you can't get to with a simple Google query. In his weekly Search Research column, Russell issues a search challenge, then follows up later in the week with his solution—using whatever search technology and methodology fits the bill. This week's challenge: Did Jefferson think she was, or wasn't, a pirate ship?

In the sultry summer of 1793, Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State in the young United States. That's when the good ship Jane came into the harbor and an important question had to be resolved: Was she a pirate or not?

France was in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars, and the US had decided to remain technically neutral. But both France and Britain were interfering with shipping up and down the coast and into the Caribbean. This was, after all, the heyday of pirates, grog and sailors being impressed into service.

In order to remain neutral, Jefferson had an important decision to make. Was the Jane merely a commercial vessel, or a pirate? Unlike the movies, it wasn't always obvious which ship was which.

Can you find what Jefferson had to say about this? What was his decision? Pirate or not?

As usual, be sure to leave your comment with a description of how long it took you to find it, and HOW you found your answer.

Search ahoy! Arrrrrrrrr!

Wednesday Search Challenge (Feb 22, 2012): Did Jefferson think she was, or wasn't? | SearchReSearch

Daniel M. Russell studies the way people search and research—an anthropologist of search, if you will. You can read more from Russell on his SearchReSearch blog, and stay tuned for his weekly challenges (and answers) here on Lifehacker.

Last chance to clear out Google Web History before the great data convergence | Engadget

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:21:00 -0600

The end is nigh! For about 59 different Google ToS documents at least. After today, the new consolidated privacy policy will go into effect, which will also consolidate much of your data across Google's properties. That means this is your last chance to clear out El Goog's "you archives" before the great convergence of 2012. If you're not keen on Google sharing your information between its various products (though, you seemed to be okay with it being collected in the first place) today is the day to go and delete it all. Of particular concern for some is Web History, which collects your searches and sites visited and has, until now, been walled off from the rest of the Google empire. For complete instructions for how to clear out your Google Web History hit up the source link.

Last chance to clear out Google Web History before the great data convergence originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter answers accusations of censorship for closing French anti-Sarkozy accounts | The Next Web

Anna Heim — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:15:42 -0600

Did you know that the French President Nicolas Sarkozy had opened a Twitter account? Its opponents certainly do, as several parody and critical accounts have been suspended by Twitter over the last days, generating accusations of censorship.

This led the micro-blogging platform to publish a post on its French blog today. While it doesn’t directly mention the controversy, it is dedicated to clarifying Twitter’s policy with regard to parody and spam.

As you may expect, the company affirms its desire to engage and promote public debate, as long as users respect a certain set of rules.

One element will particularly interest anyone who’s running a parody account. According to the company, “parody tolerated and encouraged on Twitter, as long as it respects not some, but every condition set out publicly in [Twitter's] guidelines on parody accounts”.

This may seem like a detail, but many users were assuming the list implicitly included “either/or” between each item – thinking, for example, that using the word ‘fake’ either in the account name or in the bio was acceptable. It is now very clear it is not the case, which means the conditions are much stricter than they initially appeared:

Guidelines for Parody, Commentary and Fan Accounts

In order to avoid impersonation, an account’s profile information should make it clear that the creator of the account is not actually the same person or entity as the subject of the parody/commentary. Here are some suggestions for marking your account:

Username: The username should not be the exact name of the subject of the parody, commentary, or fandom; to make it clearer, you should distinguish the account with a qualifier such as “not,” “fake,” or “fan.”

Name: The profile name should not list the exact name of the subject without some other distinguishing word, such as “not,” “fake,” or “fan.”

Bio: The bio should include a statement to distinguish it from the real identity, such as “This is a parody,” “This is a fan page,” “Parody Account,” “Fan Account,” “Role-playing Account,” or “This is not affiliated with…”

Communication with other users: The account should not, through private or public communication with other users, try to deceive or mislead others about your identity. For example, if operating a fan account, do not direct message other users implying you are the actual subject (i.e., person, band, sports team, etc.) of the fan account.

However, the use of the word ‘suggestions’ means that these rules are somewhat flexible – an impression confirmed by the following paragraph, which mentions role-playing accounts. While it suggests adding a clarification to the user’s bio, it doesn’t refer to the Twitter name itself.

Yet, recently suspended accounts reportedly included @_nicolassarkozy, but also @mafranceforte (Sarkozy’s motto), @sarkocensure (“sarkozycensorship”) and @sarkozycestfini (“sarkozyitsover”).

As you can imagine, this ambiguity fueled criticism, and gave birth to the hashtag #sarkocensure; did Twitter take action because of political pressure?

Twitter now wants to set the record straight, and clarify that it didn’t go out of its way to please the French President, who is also candidate to his reelection.

Instead, the company declares that it did what it would have done for any user; as detailed in its guidelines, anyone can complain about a parody account and ask Twitter to take action.

This ‘anyone’ includes Sarkozy’s staff, who admitted having made a request against some accounts, but shouldn’t give them any privilege – when deciding whether or not to suspend an account, Twitter promises it will “treat everyone as equals”.

On the other hand, suspended users also get a chance to comply with Twitter rules and get their account back. This is what @_nicolassarkozy apparently did; its account has been back online since yesterday, but its account name now reads ‘Nicolas Sarkozy fake’.

As for other suspended accounts, Twitter implies without saying that they were suspended for violating its spam policy, rather than its parody guidelines. It now remains to be seen whether this veiled clarification will put an end to the controversy.

Video: PlayStation Vita's AR game trio | Engadget

Joystiq staff — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:13:00 -0600

With the retail launch of the Vita hardware comes the arrival of three augmented reality games, using a set of six cards that look an awful lot like the ESP test cards Dr. Venkman used in Ghostbusters. I downloaded them all from the PlayStation Store today, carefully set up a camera between my face and Vita (keeping the table in view) and demonstrated all three.

Of the three, Fireworks is the definite standout. And by "standout" I mean "one I could foresee playing a second time."

[Music: "Shanghai Moon" by USK]

Video: PlayStation Vita's AR game trio originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP reports fiscal Q1 revenue of $30.04 billion, below $30.7 billion expectation | The Next Web

Alex Wilhelm — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:10:13 -0600

Today HP released its fiscal first quarter earnings. It’s revenues for the period were $30.04 billion, down from $32.3 billion last quarter, its net income was $1.47 billion, and its earnings per share was $0.73.

Analysts had anticipated 87 cents per share in profit. HP itself has forcasted that it will earn ‘at least’ $4 a share during the year. The PC market, which drives a substantial chunk of HP’s revnue, had a weak end to the calendar year, which likely impacted the company’s ability to earn. Hardware numbers look to be a problem, as well, with consumer PCs losing 25% year over year, and printers down 15%.

HP’s share were down about 1% during the day, perhaps indiciating that investors were not anticipating a strong report. The stock, in after hours trading, has fallen 2.2%. Stock prices for the company have hovered between $21 and $43 for the better part of the past year, with a recent plateau at the $29 mark, leaving the company at a $57.50 billion market cap.

The company has had a difficult year, both before the naming and after the tenure of Meg Whitman as CEO. Whitman is a former CEO at Ebay, who was tipped to replace Leo Apotheker in September of last year. Apotheker’s missteps with HP’s hardware, and namely the webOS IP, all led to a lawsuit in which Apotheker was named.

The company eventually settled on the idea of open-sourcing webOS, rather than selling off the IP or killing it entirely. The company’s on-again-off-again stance with hardware has not gone unnoticed by investors and there still appears to be a heavy amount of uncertainty as to the future of the company in the consumer realm.

The full release is embedded below:

HPq12012

More to follow. Refresh for updates.

Use Your Phone's Camera for Smooth Traveling, Extra Rental Car Insurance [Travel] | Lifehacker

Melanie Pinola — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:00:00 -0600

Your cell phone camera is a great timesaver when you're traveling. Instead of having to write down anything you might need for future reference, just snap a photo. For example: take pics to remember your parking spot, rental car, and hotel room number.

When you're traveling—especially if you're a frequent traveler—these details are easy to forget. Jason Womack, author of Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More recommends using your cell phone's camera to remember your parking lot space number and parking structure floor, rental car and license plate, and hotel room number. It may be the difference between wandering around a foreign parking lot and enjoying your travels.

There's another reason to take photos of your rental car—and to do so from all sides before driving off in it. I read a story recently (unfortunately can't remember where) about someone who returned a rental car and was billed weeks later for scratches on the car. She couldn't contest it. Had she had proof, in the form of pictures, that the scratches weren't there before she rented the car, her life would've been a lot less stressful.

Photo by summitcheese

RIM builds BlackBerry server center in Mumbai, right where Indian government wants it | Engadget

Sharif Sakr — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:56:00 -0600

This is the epilogue to a story that started as far back as 2008, when the Indian government first demanded access to encrypted BBM traffic. In 2010, RIM made "certain proposals" that satisfied politicos and averted a ban, and now it's gone one step further -- placing 5,000 BES Enterprise servers directly beneath officials' noses in Mumbai. It's not yet clear if messages will be subject to any more scrutiny than they were before, but N4BB reports that a "team of officers" has already inspected the installation and that "permission for direct monitoring" is "expected to be issued." Looks like those snoops will soon be working double shifts.

RIM builds BlackBerry server center in Mumbai, right where Indian government wants it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man gets served on Facebook, literally | Engadget

James Trew — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:38:00 -0600

Being unceremoniously dumped online isn't the only indignation made easier by social networks. For the first time, lawyers in the UK have been granted permission to serve a legal suit via Facebook. Traditionally, documents must be delivered physically, be it in person, by post or even fax. But, in a pretrial for a commercial dispute, these old-fashioned methods proved fruitless. The prosecuting team then decided to check online, and noticed recent updates on defendant Fabio De Biase's profile. Satisfied it was currently active, they sought permission to send documents via the website, with Justice Nigel Teare duly obliging. Wondering what that noise is? That's the sound of millions of mice clicking on "privacy settings" all at once.

Man gets served on Facebook, literally originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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