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Apple's MagSafe connections for its laptop power adapters allows the connections to be quickly detached from systems, the benefits of which are obvious to anyone who has ever caught a foot in the power cord of a charging device and yanked it to the floor from its resting perch.

The MagSafe adapter is a great idea, but a number of people complained that its first iterations did have a couple of flaws that resulted in the cable getting twisted and bent (a situation called "strain relief"). In some instances this strain would cause the cable components to … Read more

My initial introduction to the world of action cameras was through the lens of a GoPro Motorsports Hero. However, GoPro's camera system, while rugged in construction and versatile, hasn't been what you'd call "easy to use." So consider my interest piqued when GoPro called to inform me that it is pulling the wraps off of the GoPro HD Hero2: the sequel to the HD Hero boasting a simpler interface and increased performance.

GoPro would like us to believe that this sequel is twice as good as the previous-generation HD Hero, and it's got the … Read more

Using post-consumer materials and finding more energy-efficient ways to produce vehicles are just part of Ford Motor Co.'s strategy to reduce the company's global carbon footprint.

Ford is looking at the energy use and carbon emissions of 128 global suppliers. These suppliers account for nearly 60 percent of the company's $65 billion in annual purchases.

In 2010, the automaker surveyed 35 top suppliers that make seats, steering systems, tires, and metal components. What Ford discovered was how much the companies varied in their readiness to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the 2010 survey results, … Read more

Backstab is a loosely pirate-themed third-person action-adventure game with promising potential but frustratingly flawed execution given its price.

Backstab advertises an "unprecedented story" and a "blockbuster production with the best graphics." Unfortunately, the story is highly precedented (and told unevenly, with spotty voice acting and wooden animations) and the graphics--while somewhat impressive for a mobile device, especially given the game's limited sandbox environment--are far from the best. Backstab evokes derivative late '90s console games, although with more-frustrating controls: what should be an intuitive camera system (you swipe the screen to rotate the camera) is anything … Read more

When it comes to third-person shooters for iOS, EA's Dead Space is the gold standard. Or it was, until now. Madfinger's Shadowgun has claimed the crown by offering some of the best visuals this side of an Xbox 360, and gameplay that's highly reminiscent of Gears of War. It is, in short, a glorious game, if not exactly original.

Actually, Shadowgun is original in that it was built for iOS, unlike, say, Dead Space, which has console origins. But the plot, setting, and gameplay don't exactly break any new ground.

As a mercenary for hire, guided … Read more

Bing is now trying to direct you toward specific actions with a new search feature appropriately dubbed Action Buttons.

Designed to appear among certain types of search results, the Action Buttons can link you to pages where you can complete a specific task. For example, searching for airline flights may pop up a result for an airline with Action Buttons that you can click on to book a flight, view a flight status, and check in with the airline. Searching for hotel rooms may display different hotels with links to find their locations and reserve a room.

The goal, as … Read more

Cor blimey, guvnor! Android now understands British accents.

The Voice Actions for Android feature lets any Tom, Dick, and Harry control their blower by rabbiting at it. But, while the Sherman tanks across the pond from the U.K. have been happily using Voice Actions for yonks, it's been more problematic for Brits with thick regional accents.

The big G has addressed this by making Android recognize British English, both in terms of pronunciation and linguistic differences, as compared to Yank.

Read more of "Android voice control now recognises British English" at Crave UK.… Read more

In the latest sign that the unwrapping of Ice Cream Sandwich is near, Google has clued in developers on how to get their apps ready to take advantage of the upcoming, new flavor of Android.

In a blog post yesterday, Scott Main, lead tech writer for Google's official site for Android developers, reminded readers that Ice Cream Sandwich, or ICS, has been designed to run on anything from small-screen smartphones to big-screen tablets.

But apps designed to run under Android 3.0 Honeycomb are "forward-compatible" and therefore will run on any device with ICS, whether phone or … Read more

The Sony Network Entertainment has added a controversial change to its Terms of Service and User Agreement (PDF) for users of the PlayStation Network and the Sony Entertainment Network (Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited). In the revised terms, consumers must waive the right to participate in any class-action lawsuit filed after August 20 against the gaming and content delivery portion of Sony.

If you don't agree, then your PS3 can't get online or purchase media content from Sony. Future disputes between consumers and SNE must occur individually in court or through an arbitration procedure.

Licensing agreements with restrictions like this are actually more common than you might think. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of class-action waivers last April in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion. In that case, the court held that federal law pre-empted state rules against class-action waivers. Sony will have difficulty enforcing this policy outside of the U.S., as some other countries make agreements like this impossible.… Read more