Alpha

April Fools' 2013: From Twttr to Google Nose to Nokia's microwave

You probably know this already, but today is April Fools' Day.

And the pranks, they are a-comin'. This year's batch of springtime hijinks from the greater tech community includes the usual onslaught from Google, along with notable entrants from Nokia, Sony, and others. Without further ado, here are some of the highlights.

While it waits for its Lumia smartphones to build up a head of steam, Nokia is showing off a touch-screen microwave oven, the Nokia 5AM-TH1N6 Constellation, which features a Window Phone-like interface ("which can be operated with oven mitts"). Not to be outdone by Samsung … Read more

The 404 1,216: Where we 3D print our way out of the friendzone (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- "Friendzone" added to Oxford dictionary.

- Makerlove is an online community of 3D-printed adult toys.

- New app turns your iPhone into a mobile urine lab.

- It was bound to happen: Dongiverse lets you print 3D sex toys.

- Boston frat starts Indiegogo campaign for transsexual brother.

- Oleg Berg's YouTube and Soundcloud pages rework the keys of classic songs, for better or worse. Exhibit the creepiness of "Hey Jude" in minor.… Read more

Mio's Alpha: Hopeful master of heart rate measurement (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--Track your heart from your wrist with the Mio Alpha, yet another smartwatch launched by Kickstarter and shown off at MWC 2013. For $199 the Alpha is water resistant and built to reliably read the rate of your ticker.

With clean lines and smoothly rounded curves, the Mio Alpha looks and feels both futuristic and sporty. As well it should since the Alpha is essentially a timepiece and fitness gadget for people looking for serious feedback about their workouts.The watch's soft silicone wrist strap is comfortable, too, and it's clear this gizmo was designed to wear … Read more

Twitter is loopy for Vine videos

Thursday's CNET Update is longer than six seconds:

Today's tech news roundup explains why Apple's latest earnings report of record revenue and sales has disappointed investors. Tim Cook also had little to say about an Apple television and fixes to the Maps app.

Netflix surprised analysts with reported profit and growth. Netflix will push out it's own TV series, "House of Cards," on Feb. 1, and new episodes of Arrested Development are arriving in May.

Hundreds of AT&T U-verse customers have had to live without TV, Internet or phone service for several days. … Read more

Wolfram Alpha's Facebook analytics just got smarter

Those looking for greater insight into their Facebook networks will now find enhanced analytics from Wolfram Alpha.

The organization yesterday announced a wide array of updates to a Facebook analytics tool it launched in August. That launch allowed users to see daily posting activity and friend statistics, ranging from location to age ranges. In the new update posted yesterday, Wolfram Alpha has added a new categorization feature that arranges a person's friends, family, and acquaintances into several groups:

Social Insider: A person with many friends in common with you. Social Outsider: A person with few or no mutual friends. … Read more

DARPA's latest footage of LS3 robodog astounds

If you've never seen DARPA's version of Boston Dynamics' semi-autonomous LS3 (Legged Squad Support System) robot in action, now's a good time.

The government agency released a video yesterday that highlights one of LS3's most powerful skills: the ability to follow a leader by using computer-aided vision and GPS. In the four-minute clip, you can watch the dog-like robot following an instructor over some rough terrain -- with great ease -- in a wooded area near Fort Pickett, Va. … Read more

Earth-like planet -- sorta -- spotted in Alpha Centauri

Roughly 25 trillion miles (or 4.3 light years) from home, astronomers have found that the Alpha Centauri star system hosts a planet with a mass similar to that of Earth. Galactic geeks may recall references to this star system in "Star Trek," "Avatar," "Transformers," and countless other fictional entertainment.

The planet, officially named Alpha Centauri Bb, orbits Alpha Centauri B and took more than four years of observing to fully classify. … Read more

Lightroom 4.2 supports large swath of new cameras

With the Photokina show in Germany producing so many new high-end cameras, it's evidently been a busy season for Adobe Systems' Lightroom team.

That team just released Lightroom 4.2, which supports 22 new cameras, 43 new lenses, and lets people shoot with 11 new cameras tethered to a computer. It takes work to figure out how to decode each camera's proprietary raw format.

Here's the full list of new cameras supported, but note that the Nikon D600 support is "preliminary and there is a minor risk that the appearance of your images may change when … Read more

Maingear introduces first boutique gaming all-in-one PC

Mainstream vendors, Lenovo in particular, have attempted gaming-oriented all-in-one desktops. Maingear's Alpha 24 Super stock is the first from a true boutique PC vendor.

For starters, here are the highlights of the Alpha's spec sheet:

Intel Core i3 3240 3.4GHz, upgradeable to Intel Core i7 3770K Up to 256GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD Up to 3TB mechanical HDD Full-size, Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Graphics, up to GeForce GTX 680 Expansion slots that include two mini PCIe slots and one PCIe x 16 slot Starting at $1,349

You don't normally find full-size graphics cards, and PCI-Express … Read more

Run! DARPA's LS3 robot mule follows you around

Let the human-hunting games begin. Boston Dynamics has a new video of its oversized beast pursuing defenseless human meatsacks through a forest.

The Legged Squad Support System (LS3), aka AlphaDog, is designed to carry 400 pounds of payload and travel 20 miles without refueling. It's funded by DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps and is meant to support troops in rugged terrain.

The latest video shows the cow-size monster clambering over rocks and up steep hillsides with heavy weights on its sides. It charges through bushes without a thought. … Read more