action

Caught on video: Seagull sneakily steals GoPro

When Nathalie Rollandin visited the San Francisco Bay Area in late August, she got quite the tourist's welcome when her GoPro camera ended up being stolen -- by a devious avian thief -- with the heist recorded on video.

In the short clip below, a seagull clearly snatches the camera, then takes flight over the sunset-kissed blue waters near the Golden Gate Bridge. The bird emits a brief noise during the crime, indicating a successful capture or perhaps simply a "see ya sucker." After a short flight, the bird drops the camera dozens of feet away, perhaps realizing the prey wasn't that tasty after all. … Read more

Contour updates line-topping action camera, reveals Contour+2

Contour's line-topping Contour+ HD sports camera would have been one of our favorites, but we hesitated to recommend it because Contour's own less-expensive cameras, the ContourGPS and the ContourRoam, were cheaper, more rugged, and easier to use.

With the debut of the new Contour+2, the replacement for the previous flagship, the camera maker draws from the lessons that it's learned with all of its previous action camera models, with a lower price and even picking up a few tricks from the competition.… Read more

Get three Gameloft Android games for $3

What better way to celebrate Labor Day than by eschewing all forms of labor, instead kicking back with your phone or tablet and rocking some serious run-and-gun action?

To help you accomplish that nation-honoring act of laziness, Gameloft is offering three Android games on the cheap.

Throughout the weekend, you can get Gangstar Rio: City of Saints, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, and N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance from Google Play for 99 cents apiece.

These titles normally sell for $6.99 each, meaning you're getting for three bucks what would normally cost you $21.… Read more

IFA 2012: Big reveals for Sony, Samsung

Time to learn German for Wednesday's tech news roundup:

Tons of devices being unveiled at the IFA trade show in Berlin. The highlights from Wednesday include:

• Sony releases its first 4K TV, the 84-inch XBR-84X900. No official word on cost or availability, but expect to pay close to $30,000 to own one. Here's an explainer on what a 4K TV is, but no need to worry about new formats just yet. Afterall, what movies do you own in 4K? • Sony showed the Xperia S tablet, available Sept. 7 starting at $400. It has several TV-ready features, Android … Read more

Realistic Batman toys battle in eerie stop-motion video

Who knew action figures could be so expressive? The trailer for a fan-made Batman film called "Batman: Dark Knightfall" uses toys to create a dark battle between Gotham's forces of good and the Joker's evil minions.

Everything from the lighting to the music to the movement of the figures is full of moody, broody atmosphere. What makes this unusual stop-motion project work is the super-realistic action figures. The 12-inch figures made by Hot Toys turn the trailer into a creepy romp through the Uncanny Valley.… Read more

Turn iPhone into wide-angle action sports camera

There's a more secure way to capture your skateboarding and mountain biking exploits than by duct taping your iPhone to the top of your helmet.

Optrix, a company that once ran over one of its own cases with a very large Dodge truck, has now taken on the task of protecting your iPhone during extreme sports activities.… Read more

Get Just Cause 2 (Win) for $3.74

I love a good game deal, and they don't come any, er, gooder than this.

Today only, Gamersgate has Just Cause 2 (Windows) for $3.74. No, there's not a number missing; that's 3 dollars and 74 cents.

In other words, for about the price of a cafe mocha, you can get one of the top-rated action games of 2010 and enjoy hours, days, even weeks of PC entertainment.

And just what the heck is Just Cause 2? Here's a telling excerpt from GameSpot's review of the game:

Just Cause 2 is ridiculous in the … Read more

The 404 1,081: Where nobody's perfect (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

-Facebook quietly adds creepy "Find Friends Nearby" feature.

-Apple no longer claims immunity from viruses on its Web store.

-New site "weknowhatyouredoing.com" tracks Twitter and posts incriminating patterns.

-Hot Toys' Joker action figure is serious...ly amazing.

-No one watches TV, Nielsen, and you know it.… Read more

Facebook to give users more control over controversial ads

If a judge approves Facebook's settlement of a class-action lawsuit regarding "sponsored stories," the social network will give users more control over the advertising tool, which features users' profile photos and other information in ads for businesses and products the users have "Liked."

Reuters reported today that the settlement agreement includes giving users the ability to determine what, if any, user information can be featured in ads, and adding new language to Facebook's guidelines informing users of sponsored ads, according to court documents filed Wednesday. TechCrunch reported that user opt-outs will apparently apply on … Read more

LinkedIn hit with $5M lawsuit over lost passwords

An Illinois woman is leading the charge against LinkedIn in a $5 million class-action lawsuit that alleges the social network failed to protect its members' data.

The suit is a result of the recent security breach in which hackers stole thousands of passwords. The passwords ended up on a site accessible to the public.

Katie Szpyrka, a registered LinkedIn account holder since 2010, filed suit last week in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, claiming LinkedIn violated its own privacy policies and user agreements by not following industry, ZDNet reported today.

LinkedIn spokeswoman Erin O'… Read more