aurora

iOS gaming network OpenFeint coming to Android

OpenFeint, the free social-networking layer that can be found on a large number of iOS games, is headed to Google's Android platform.

According to the company, Android developers will be getting the same version of the OpenFeint SDK that's available for iOS developers. The Android release will also include the game discovery tools, and a micropayments system that was introduced as part of OpenFeint X platform back in February.

iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users who have ventured onto the App Store in the past year have undoubtedly noticed OpenFeint's presence, as the service has been built … Read more

App Store network OpenFeint gains micropayments

The micropayment ecosystem on Apple's App Store is about to change. California-based Aurora Feint, makers of the OpenFeint iPhone developer platform--which is currently the most popular social-development network on the iPhone, is testing out a new version of OpenFeint, called OpenFeint X (ten) that brings its own microtransactions to the table.

This is notable, in that Apple has kept the bare minimum that users can spend on or within an application at 99 cents. OpenFeint is not trying to get around this policy for in-app payments, but it's giving developers a simple storefront architecture on which to … Read more

McAfee: China attacks a 'watershed moment'

The China-based cyberattacks on Google and other companies were "a watershed moment in cybersecurity," according to an executive at computer security company McAfee.

"I believe this is the largest and most sophisticated cyberattack we have seen in years targeted at specific corporations," McAfee Chief Technology Officer George Kurtz wrote on his blog Sunday. "While the malware was sophisticated, we see lots of attacks that use complex malware combined with zero day exploits."

"What really makes this is a watershed moment in cybersecurity is the targeted and coordinated nature of the attack with the … Read more

Race to develop long-range UAV enters second lap

The race to develop an unmanned aircraft that can stay aloft for five years at a stretch has entered its second phase, where the prize is a $155 million DARPA contract to build a small-scale demonstrator model.

The project, called Vulture II, will pit three defense contractor teams--Aurora Flight Sciences, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin--against one another and the clock for the right to build a small-scale, working version of a high-altitude, electric-propelled UAV capable of remaining aloft and on station for three months.

The Vulture is expected to serve as an electronic sensor and military communications platform, and … Read more

Turbine-electric hybrid VTOL attack drone flies again

The Excalibur, a new turbine-electric hybrid propelled VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) unmanned attack drone, has successfully completed another test flight after taking on two new onboard computers last week.

Developed by Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. for the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate and the Office of Naval Research, the Excalibur is another radical robo-craft concept vying to fill the military's burgeoning demand for specialized UAVs.

The demonstrator model, weighing in at 700 pounds, can hit 520 mph, making it one of the fastest drones around, according to the Aurora. The nearly autonomous flight control system allows … Read more

Aurora's algae payoff: $50 a barrel, plus a price on carbon

Aurora Biofuels on Wednesday said that it has completed a successful trial of growing algae for biofuels and named former Royal Dutch Shell executive Robert Walsh CEO.

The company has been running a test at growing algae in two outdoor ponds--each about as big as an Olympic-size swimming pool--in Florida for the past year and a half.

Based on the results of that test, the company expects it can create a larger-scale demonstration facility that's 50 acres in size late next year, said Walsh who joined Aurora Biofuels from biofuel company LS9. The company raised $20 million last July … Read more

A low-profile cooktop

Electrolux has introduced a sleek induction cooktop called Aurora. This low-profile appliance uses electromagnetic fields to transfer heat to your pots and pans and has minimal radiant heat on its surface, making for fewer kitchen mishaps. The Aurora cooktop has patterned ceramic glass covering the cooking surface, surrounded by an LED-lit perimeter that reminds you when the cooktop is in use. The minimalist design makes for a cooktop that can easily match any kitchen design and is subtle enough to appear to be simply part of the counter. It offers easy-to-use controls, complete with a child lock and safety cut-out. … Read more

iPhone apps of the week

Before I get to this weeks apps, I found out about some bargain basement prices for a small selection of apps from Ambrosia Software. Aki Mahjong Mobile, Mondo Solitaire, and Mr. Sudoko are all on sale for 99-cents at the app store until November 30th (usually $9.99). If you have any interest in these games, now is the time to start downloading!

For this weeks apps, I'm including one free and one paid app.

The Weather Channel for iPhone and iPod touch offers a wealth of weather information beyond what you get from the free app that's … Read more

Firefox out to prove that open source can innovate

When you think of browser innovation, admit it: You don't think of Internet Explorer. Netscape originally took the wheel of browser innovation, and its descendant, Mozilla's Firefox, is at the innovation wheel again, this time with two very different (and exciting) products:

Snowl, a unified messaging/browsing experience, and the second is Aurora, the next-generation Firefox browser that we, the people, will define and build at Mozilla's request.

Indeed, it's this latter innovation - true community feedback on what can and should be in the browser, and then the development process to deliver it - that … Read more