wildfire

Google announced today that it has acquired Wildfire, a startup with a viral marketing campaign platform and several offices stretching from Silicon Valley to Singapore.

Google product management director Jason Miller explained on the official Google blog that the merger of Google and Wildfire will create "new opportunities for our clients to engage with people across all social services."

Wrote Miller: "The ultimate goal is better and fresher content, and more meaningful interactions. People today can make their voices heard in ways that were previously impossible, and Wildfire helps businesses uphold their end of the conversation (or … Read more

The HTC Wildfire S for U.S. Cellular certainly packs a punch for such a small device. But it's not for everyone.

The Wildfire S has a 3.2-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, and it runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with HTC's Sense interface. As with other entry-level smartphones, it doesn't break any new ground, and its specs are far from top of the line. Still, if you're looking for a bargain and your hands aren't too big, this phone (free after a rebate) holds some appeal. The phone is ideal for first-time users … Read more

The HTC Wildfire S is quickly becoming HTC's go-to budget and off-contract Android device.

Already available on T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular, the petite Android 2.3 Gingerbread handset is now headed to MetroPCS this week, where it will cost $179 for the off-contract smartphone, and come in white. The Wildfire S has a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, and a 600MHz processor.

Significantly, this is MetroPCS' first offering with HTC, a move that signals a partnership between the national's largest no-contract carrier and a handset maker known for bringing forth quality … Read more

Highly sophisticated robots are being used in a variety of ways: think tsunamis, earthquakes, and land mines, to name a few. In the case of wildfires, though, they wouldn't survive long in the heat of battle.

So a team of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Cincinnati is testing a tiny new aerial system designed to fly above fires to calculate the scope of damage and the anticipated path the fire will take.

"What we are designing is a complete system," says Kelly Cohen, associate professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, in a news release. &… Read more

The HTC Wildfire S is a compact Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone with a 3.2-inch HVGA (480x320 pixels) touch screen. It features the Swype virtual keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera, and runs off a 600MHz processor. We're planning to review this phone, but in the meantime, you can check out CNET's review of the T-Mobile version of the Wildfire S here: HTC Wildfire S (T-Mobile).

Today, Virgin Mobile announced the upcoming availability of its latest Android smartphones, the LG Optimus Slider and HTC Wildfire S.

Equipped with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the carriers says the Optimus Slider is ideal for those who love to e-mail, message, and social network on the go. In fact, the Android 2.3 Gingerbread handset will come preloaded with Virgin Mobile's Live 2.0 social networking app that lets you access the carrier's custom music stream and allows to you check into special events.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread handset also has a 3.2-inch touch screen, a … Read more

Starting next month, U.S. Cellular customers will be able to get their hands on the HTC Wildfire S, HTC Hero S, and HTC Flyer tablet. All will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The Hero S has a 4-inch qHD Super LCD touch screen, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The U.S. version of the HTC Kingdom, it'll be available for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, so long as you've got a data plan.

The more budget-friendly and basic HTC Wildfire S has a 3.2-inch display and a 5-megapixel camera. … Read more

T-Mobile announced today that the HTC Wildfire S will be joining its lineup on Wednesday, August 3. The compact handset, which features a 3.2-inch display and 5-megapixel camera, runs $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with qualifying two-year service agreements. While the 600MHz processor and 512MB memory won't turn heads for existing Android users, it's plenty of performance for new smartphone buyers.

The Wildfire S runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and features HTC's custom Sense user interface. Customers will be able to purchase the phone with two color options: white from T-Mobile or black … Read more

The Las Conchas wildfire, a 92,735-acre blaze extending around the community and national laboratory of Los Alamos, N.M., often moves faster than the officials who monitor it. That can be frustrating for people who want to see where the fire is burning.

But NASA has an automated answer for the impatient: the MODIS satellite. It records fire data, and the U.S. Forest Service packages it up so Google Earth users can get a rough but useful view of the fire's behavior.

Here's how to take a look. But first, I'll share a sobering NASA photo taken from the International Space Station on Monday, the second day of the fire.

It's a daunting image for anyone like me who knows the area and the scale involved. There are 752 people fighting the fire right now, including four bulldozers, 28 fire engines, and five helicopters. Since the Cerro Grande fire of 2000, which burned hundreds of Los Alamos homes and thousands of acres of Los Alamos National Laboratory property, the lab has taken new fire counter measures including more forest clearing and automatic fire-suppression systems. So far today, physical risks to the lab are lower than earlier in the week, LANL Director Charlie McMillan said. … Read more