test

Crowdsourcing worked for restaurant reviews, so it's got to work for testing mobile apps around the world, right?

That's the premise behind Mob4Hire, which presented at Under the Radar on Wednesday.

The pitch began with a compelling use case: You need to test the app on 20 handsets in another country where you don't have an office. Mob4Hire's Web site connects testers all over the world with developers who need their apps tested on multiple handsets and operating systems.

Mob4Hire takes a 15 percent cut, PayPal takes its customary 2.9 percent service fee plus 30 … Read more

One challenge in testing networking products is measuring vendors' claims of how green their products can be. Most of the time, during the course of reviewing, I just have to take vendors at their word. But it seems this might change in the near future.

On Tuesday, Ixia, a global provider of IP performance test systems, announced that its IxGreen solution and iSimCity facility will be used to measure the energy efficiency of Juniper Network's T1600 core router, a massive router used to handle huge corporate networks.

In addition, Ixia and Juniper Networks announced the formation of the ECR Initiative … Read more

The iPhone and iPod touch offer plenty of distractions for students just killing time between classes or on a commute. But there are infinitely more games to lure you than there are study materials to help you pass that test.

Cram ($10) is one application that may be worth the investment for students looking to create endless study guides for themselves and friends.

See how it works in the First Look video above. If you like it (or even if you don't), tell us why in the comments. Even better, rate the app here.

A new report (PDF) from Secunia is raising awareness about the need to patch vulnerabilities and block malware from desktops.

The report found that "security vendors do not focus on vulnerabilities." And while Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 bests the 11 other suites tested, Secunia found that Symantec "detected a mere 64 out of 300 exploits, or less than one-fourth, leaving 236 exploits undetected." Overall the dozen products all received an "F" on the report.

The Secunia test departed from the traditional testing done by organizations such as AV-test.org and AV-comparatives.org, which … Read more

First up, Dong is a little concerned that Eric may be a terrorist. He soon discovers, though, that everyone is a terrorist.

Then, LED vs. CCFL LCD backlights. Which makes your eyes bleed less? Find out!

Could our love affair with the iPhone 3G be over? Possibly. Then why do we still own one? It's a complicated answer that we tackle.

Finally, we tell some stories about our early WoW days. Enjoy the fun!

To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the link on the right. Don't forget to leave us a … Read more

There are some Web quizzes out there that are fun. Then there's X-Rite's test of how well you can distinguish between subtle differences in hue.

X-Rite, which wants you to buy its technology for precisely calibrating your monitor's colors, published the test, which requires you to put 100 colored chits in the right order. It presents you with a score and a color chart showing where you're unreliable.

I confess I enjoyed taking the test--it was intriguing to pay that much attention to the subtle color perception. For example, the part I found easiest also turned … Read more

Add "study guide" to the long list of tricks you can do with your iPhone. Cram ($9.99) is a solid application that lets you create and import tests on any topic. You'll be able to take scored multiple choice quizzes or go into study mode, in which Cram provides you with a series of digital flash cards. Cram will flash the question and you decide with a click when the answer appears.

Cram is fairly simple to use, but there is a correct order for getting started. For instance, you had best register for Cram online … Read more

HDGuru.com has published a survey of the resolution capabilities of 125 high-definition televisions.

The survey was conducted by HDGuru's sole proprietor, Gary Merson, who subjected the sets to a variety of test patterns and recorded the results in a handy PDF table. The patterns tested for 1080i de-interlacing performance of both video and film-based sources, still resolution (bandwidth) and motion resolution.

The results of the tests make interesting reading for people who follow the evolution of HDTV technology.… Read more

Silicon Valley's economy is sliding into the doldrums, with unemployment now topping 6.6 percent, but it's not the only place to live.

In fact, as researchers recently uncovered and which the Wall Street Journal reports, there are lots of other great places in the United States to live, places with people who are equally open to new ideas, while being much more extroverted, conscientious, and agreeable, and far less neurotic (their words, not mine).

As published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, researchers combed through more than 600,000 personality questionnaires and discovered that certain states attract or shape concentrations of similar personalities. Intriguingly, this may affect the types of industries and health care problems that arise in certain states:

Even after controlling for variables such as race, income, and education levels, a state's dominant personality turns out to be strongly linked to certain outcomes. Amiable states, like Minnesota, tend to be lower in crime. Dutiful states--an eclectic bunch that includes New Mexico, North Carolina, and Utah-- produce a disproportionate share of mathematicians. States that rank high in openness to new ideas are quite creative, as measured by per-capita patent production. But they're also high-crime and a bit aloof. Apparently, Californians don't much like socializing, the research suggests.… Read more