Facebook plans artsy photo filters? Groan.

Hipstamatic is one of many applications that let people use filters to add effects to photos.
(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

I'm probably going against the will of the people here, but sighed heavily this morning when I read in the New York Times that Facebook plans to release filters to give photos artsy effects.

You know what I'm talking about--the shots with the heavily darkened corners that old cameras produced, the desaturated colors from faded Polaroids, the sepia tones and cyanotype blues from 19th-century photography techniques, the wacky hues when one type of film was processed with another type's chemistry, the smeary Vaseline-on-the-lens look of old portraits.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with this kind of thing--sometimes it's fun to give a retro 1962 look to your snapshot or to punch up the contrast and colors a bit. It can add flavor to an otherwise bland shot. So it's no surprise that Facebook would want to add the feature--or indeed, as the Times reported, that it tried to acquire Instagram, which lets people share the fiddled photos.

The problem is just that I'm sick of it.

There are plenty of mobile apps to do this for you--Instagram, Hipstamatic, Picplz, and many more. Many cameras will let you fiddle with the photos before or after you take them--Olympus' art filters being an early example. It seems likely, based on beta reports, that iOS 5 will get photo filters.

As I see it, though, photo filter have moved from clever to cliche. The novelty has worn off, and novelty was the main reason to do it in the first place.

OK, to be fair, another part of the problem is that I didn't like the effects much to begin with, for the most part: I prefer realistic photos. That's just personal taste, though, and I try not to inflict it on others, but it does color my opinions, so to speak.

I admit to being a bit conflicted here. I enjoy watching people experiment with photography, and the filters are an easy, fun way to do that. So I hate to rain on the parade of the countless people who are just about to discover photo filters.

But with the filters so pervasive now, it's going to be harder use them to make your shots stand out.

And given how many millions of photos are shared on the Facebook, if the social network does in fact launch photo filters, it'll become even harder to use them to make your photos to stand out.

Tags:Facebook, Polaroid, photography, acquisitions, filters, Instagram, social networking, Facebook artsy photo filters, Facebook artsy , Facebook photo filters, Facebook photos artsy effects, iOS 5 photo filters.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20097143-264/facebook-plans-artsy-photo-filters-groan/#ixzz1W3Jk9ub7

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New Aurora 8 works on memory, guts, and add-ons

Mozilla upgraded its developer's edition of Firefox today to version 8, including changing how forced third-party add-ons are handled and debuting a series of under-the-hood tweaks that continue a renewed assault on performance gains made in Firefox 7 Beta. Firefox 8 Aurora can be downloaded for Windows, Mac and Linux, and it marks the first release of Aurora for Android.

Firefox's new add-on confirmation window, debuting in Aurora 8.
(Credit: Mozilla)

Two add-on changes were revealed last week that represent, for the first time in possibly years, that Mozilla has forced changes on how third-party programs and Firefox interact. Basically, Mozilla is disabling the ability of a third-party program, like security suites, to forcibly install add-ons without user permission. The change comes in two parts: one automatically disables those add-ons, and when you start Firefox after the add-on has been installed for the first time, a notification window prompts users to either activate the add-on or ignore it.

The second feature kicks in the first time Firefox runs after upgrading to version 8. It goes through your add-ons and sorts them into two categories: ones you've installed, and add-ons from third-party programs. All active add-ons that you have installed will be kept active, while all third-party add-ons will be deactivated unless you choose to reactivate them. As an additional level of protection against unwanted deactivation, the feature will offer a confirmation list of the add-ons you want killed.

The company continues to develop its Firefox channels into separate beasts. Aurora 8 debuts a light-blue button color to help distinguish from the Nightly build, which has a deep blue button, and the stable build's orange button. More important than that aesthetic tweak are changes to provide better icons when dragging and reordering tabs, and a new choice in the Options menu to load tabs only on demand. This will let people who have many tabs open start the browser faster.

In Windows, the option is available in the General tab of the Options menu. On Macs, go to the Aurora menu, then Preferences, then General, and check "Don't load tabs until selected."
The new Master Password option in Firefox 8 Aurora for Android.
(Credit: Mozilla)

Under the hood, Mozilla continues to work on its flagship product. How the browser creates threads for HTML5 media elements has been changed, which will allow for a large number of media calls without killing the browser, and a new media APIs sees support to improve the overall performance of video and audio in the browser. Newer HTML5 standards will work in Aurora 8, including the crossorigin and insertAdjacentHTML attributes, as well as native right-click menus via HTML5. There's been a WebSocket update to the latest APIs, and a security tweak forces WebGL textures to use CORS.

Two notable changes have also landed in the new Firefox 8 Aurora for Android. The first creates the option of a master password, for one-password entry when browsing. This is available under the Privacy and Security section of the Preferences tab. You also can add Firefox bookmarks directly to your home screen in the new build.

While Mozilla continues to push ahead with its rapid release cycle, and face opposition from a vocal minority of fans that Google didn't encounter when it moved Chrome to rapid release, it is also beginning to look at changing how version numbers are counted. One blog post proposes ditching the current whole-number format and counting major versions released in a single year. For example, the fifth major release in a particular calendar year would be "Firefox 2011.5".

Tags: extension, Aurora, Mozilla, Firefox, add-on, HTML5, rapid release, Aurora 8, Mozilla Firefox, Firefox 7 Beta, Firefox 8 Aurora, Aurora for Android.

Read more: http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-20094869-12/new-aurora-8-works-on-memory-guts-and-add-ons/

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Apple to face fast Android tablets

 around the CES 2012 timeframe," Nvidia said in a statement to CNET on Friday.

It's safe to presume that Nvidia isn't just blowing smoke. Its processors today power all of the most popular Android Honeycomb tablets, including the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Toshiba Thrive, and Acer Iconia Tab A500. Future Sony tablets will use Tegra too.

Nvidia claims its upcoming quad-core processor will offer higher performance while being more power efficient.
(Credit: Nvidia)

And listening to Nvidia's earnings conference call on Thursday provided some more food for thought. "Our next-generation Kal-El processor had a very strong quarter of design wins," CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said. "And we have a great working relationship with [Google]. And so as soon as our next generation processor Kal-El is ready for production, we can run like the wind."

One of the more intriguing points Huang made was about Kal-El's power consumption. The seemingly logical assumption is that a quad-core processor will be more power hungry. Not necessarily, said Huang. "Kal-El is so much better performance than Tegra 2. And so much lower power. Very few people have internalized that Kal-El is lower power in every use case compared to Tegra 2," he said.

So, now that we know that high-performance Android tablets are coming, we're left to speculate on brands. Motorola is one of those most likely candidates. The company will come out with "much more aggressive form factors" for tablets later this year, CEO Sanjay Jha said when speaking at a tech conference this week. Asus is another prospect.

Texas Instruments--likely a leading chip provider for upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets and smartphones--and Qualcomm also have plans for quad-core chips but, those aren't due until 2012 sometime.

How will Apple respond? Well, theories abound. One being that Apple will offer a premium iPad for professionals, sporting a higher resolution screen, among other tweaks. Then, of course, there are plenty of rumors about an iPad 3. But when that will land in Apple stores is a crapshoot. Apple may wait until next year when it can pack in plenty of new goodies like a quad-core A6 processor, better graphics, and a revamped design.

Ironically, despite different production schedules, Apple and Nvidia may get their silicon from the same source. Nvidia historically sources its chips from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or TSMC, one of the largest chip manufacturers in the world. Many industry experts believe that Apple will also consign production to TSMC of either a future version of the A5 processor or the next generation A6.

Linley Gwennap, who heads The Linley Group, a chip consulting firm, thinks Apple may turn to TSMC. "Nvidia quad-core late this year, Apple A6 early next year. So Nvidia could be out a little sooner than Apple, but not by much," said Gwennap.

As long as Apple gets the iPad 3 out reasonably soon after quad-core Android tablets begin to proliferate, most consumers probably won't care. That said, all bets are off with Windows 8 running on ARM processors like Nvidia's Kal-El.

Tags: Tegra, Windows 8, Kal-El, Android, Honeycomb, Qualcomm, Motorola, quad-core, Nvidia, Ice Cream Sandwich, Google, Apple, tablet, Texas Instruments, iPad, ARM
Read More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20092208-64/apple-to-face-fast-android-tablets/

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Amazon cloud outage downs Netflix, Quora

Amazon Web Services' cloud-computing infrastructure experienced a brief network outage this evening that knocked offline popular sites such as Netflix, Quora, Reddit, and Foursquare.
The network connectivity issues struck Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) at Amazon's northern Virginia site, which handles AWS operations for the U.S. East Coast at 7:39 p.m. PDT and were resolved about 25 minutes later, according to the Amazon Web Services Health Dashboard.

AWS is a flagship example of one facet of cloud computing, a flexible collection of online computing services that can ramp up and down according to varying needs, with customers getting a flexible infrastructure and paying only for what they consume.

At the same time, though, when a widely used service goes down, many suffer. In April, the cloud storage service experienced a two-day outage that brought many Web site operations to a halt.

Amazon representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Other recent service outages:
    • April 21: Amazon cloud outage derails Reddit, Quora
    • May 13: Google revives Blogger after outage
    • June 20: Netflix outage not caused by hackers
    • July 14: Google App Engine suffers availability problems
    • July 14: Spotify promo downs Klout. Was it avoidable?
    • July 20: Netflix outage prevents streaming to some devices
    • August 3: Yahoo Mail suffers outage; users react

Tags: outage, cloud services, Amazon, EC2, Amazon cloud, Quora, Netflix, Amazon Web Services
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20089866-93/amazon-cloud-outage-downs-netflix-quora/#ixzz1UXopfmpG

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Vizio launches 8-inch tablet for $299

The 8-inch Vizio tablet costs $299.
(Credit: Vizio)

Vizio has launched its 8-inch tablet at a price that could make it a key player in the Android tablet space.

Customers looking to get their hands on the device can head over to Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, Costco, and Amazon, among other retailers, and pick up the tablet for $299.

Vizio's decision to drop the price of its tablet to $299 comes as a surprise. In June, reports surfaced, claiming Wal-Mart would be selling the tablet for $349. Last month, Vizio started offering the device on pre-order for $399.99. However, at the time, customers could go to Costco or Wal-Mart and order it for $329 or $348, respectively.

Vizio is currently selling its tablet for $369 on its Web site.


Aside from its 8-inch display, Vizio's tablet comes with built-in GPS and 2GB of onboard storage, which is expandable up to 32GB with a microSD card. The Android-based device allows users to connect to the Web via Wi-Fi, and download apps from the Android Market. The tablet also doubles as a universal remote, allowing users to control their home theater devices.

At $299, Vizio is offering one of the better deals on the market. Apple's iPad 2, the leader in the space, starts at $499, making Vizio's option a strikingly more affordable option for some customers. It also puts it within striking distance of the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, which comes with a 7-inch display and Android for $249.

What's more, Vizio has decided to cut the price before customers get their hands on the device, rather than do so soon after its launch, like HP did.

HP last week offered a $50 "instant rebate" on its TouchPad tablet, just a month after the tablet launched. The TouchPad now retails for $449.99 and $549.99 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. To address early-adopter outcry, HP said over the weekend that it would offer TouchPad owners a $50 credit for its App Catalog app store.

Tags: Vizio, Vizio tablet, Android tablet, Apple's iPad 2,instant rebate



Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20089981-17/vizio-launches-8-inch-tablet-for-$299/#ixzz1UXmkDwrP

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Apple sued over speedy Mac OS X startup

                     Mac OS X is being cited in a new suit against Apple.
                   (Credit: Apple)

Apple has been sued for the Mac OS X startup process.

Operating Systems Solutions, a Florida company, recently sued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that the Mac maker's desktop operating system violates a patent it owns for quickly booting an OS. The patent was originally issued to LG Electronics in 2002.

The patent reads, "a method for fast booting a computer system, comprising the steps of: A. performing a power on self test (POST) of basic input output system (BIOS) when the system is powered on or reset is requested; B. checking whether a boot configuration information including a system booting state which was created while executing a previous normal booting process exists or not; C. storing the boot configuration information from execution of the POST operation before loading a graphic interface (GUI) program, based on the checking result; and D. loading the graphic user interface (GUI) program."

Patently Apple was first to report on the suit.

Operating Systems Solutions doesn't cite a specific version of Apple's Mac OS X in its suit. However, the company does claim that "Apple sells or offers to sell within this district, computer systems, including but not limited to the MacBook Pro, that utilize the Mac OS X operating system that infringes" its patent.

It's currently unclear what Operating Systems Solutions actually does. Several Google searches by CNET yielded no results for the company. The firm also doesn't appear to have contact information. However, CNET did contact the company's attorney, who has not immediately responded to a request for comment or for information on the firm.


One of the more surprising elements of the suit is the patent's history, given that it was originally issued to consumer electronics giant LG in 2002. However, as Operating Systems Solutions points out in its lawsuit, the patent was reissued in 2008, and the company now owns "all right, title, and interest" in the patent.

It doesn't appear that LG is included in the lawsuit. The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

According to the court filing, Operating Systems Solutions wants injunctive relief. The company is also seeking damages and the immediate "destruction [of] all remaining advertisements, circulars, brochures, or other promotional or advertising items, Web site, or other materials for the infringing method."

Like many other large companies, Apple has been a lightning rod for lawsuits over the last several years. The company is currently entangled in suits related to everything from its mobile devices to the name of its cloud-based service, iCloud.

Tags: Apple, Mac OS X, software, lawsuit, Apple Mac OS X
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20089381-17/apple-sued-over-speedy-mac-os-x-startup/#ixzz1US0Kq6jJ

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Apple launches sub-$1,000 iMac

Is a new, cheaper iMac launching next week?

(Credit: Apple)
Apple has quietly launched a cheaper iMac more than a week before earlier reports expected.

Apple's new offering costs $999, and comes with a 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 processor and a 250GB hard drive. The computer is running the AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card.

The cheaper iMac is designed for education institutions only, which means individuals cannot purchase the computer at the discounted rate.

Citing a source named, "Mr. X," 9to5Mac reported yesterday that Apple would launch a new iMac as early as next Tuesday for less than $1,000. According to the Apple-focused blog, the computer would come with a 3.06GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive.

Apple refreshed its iMac line in May. The company offers two 21.5-inch models, boasting quad-core processors and 4GB of memory. The cheapest 21.5-inch model has a 500GB hard drive and retails for $1,199. The slightly more powerful option comes with a 1TB hard drive and sells for $1,499.

  In addition, Apple sells two 27-inch iMac models, which retail for $1,699 and $1,999, respectively. They also come with quad-core processors, sport 2,560- by 1,440-resolution displays, and offer 1TB hard drives.

This isn't the first time Apple has offered a cheaper iMac for educational institutions. In 2006, the company announced a 17-inch iMac for education customers that cost $899.

Tags: Apple, computer, iMac, Mac, education customer,Apple Inc
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20089405-17/apple-launches-sub-$1000-imac/#ixzz1URuxCiGb

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Apple iPhone tops smartphone charts in 2nd quarter

Apple reigns supreme in the second quarter, according to IDC.
(Credit: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker) In one short year, Apple has toppled Nokia and taken control of the worldwide smartphone market.
According to research firm IDC, Apple's sales of 20.3 million iPhones worldwide during the second quarter of 2011 helped the company secure 19.1 percent market share and lead all other vendors. The company's shipments grew 141.7 percent compared to the second quarter of 2010 when it sold just 8.4 million iPhones and secured 13 percent share.
Apple's growth is all the more impressive when one considers that the iPhone 4 has been on store shelves for over a year now, and speculation abounds that it could be replaced with a new version of the device within weeks. However, Apple hasn't confirmed that it will, in fact, launch a new iPhone this year, and even the rumor mill can't seem to agree over whether the iPhone 5 will ship or if Apple will offer up an updated version of the iPhone 4.

Although Apple's year-over-year growth was strong, it was Samsung that stole the show. That company saw its shipments grow 380.6 percent year over year to settle at 17.3 million in the second quarter. At that level, Samsung was able to secure 16.2 percent share. Samsung's success is due mainly to the company's high-end devices, like the Galaxy S, IDC said.

"What originally began as a series of high-end smartphones has proliferated well into the mass-market, but has not strayed too far from its high-end roots," wrote about Samsung in its report on smartphone shipments. "Moreover, its steady cadence of device releases and updates has kept Samsung's smartphones well out in front of the competition."


While Apple and Samsung had a strong quarter, Nokia didn't fare so well. That company saw its shipments decline 30.4 percent during the second quarter from 24 million last year to 16.7 million this year. What's more, Nokia, which was easily dominating the smartphone space last year with 37.3 percent share, was only able to secure 15.7 percent of the market last quarter.
"Nokia ceded the number one position for the first time in the history of IDC's Mobile Phone Tracker, with smartphone volumes dipping below the 20 million unit mark for the first time since 3Q09," IDC said. "Even as the company released new smartphones running on Symbian^3, demand for its products running on the aged Symbian platform has shifted to other devices."
That said, IDC acknowledged that Nokia's market share dip also has something to do with the state of its operation. Earlier this year, the company announced that Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform would become the "principal" operating system on its line of smartphones. Nokia is currently focusing much of its efforts there, and will likely continue to take a short-term hit for the eventual goal of reestablishing its brand over the long-term.
Even so, Nokia is still leading the pack in total mobile phone shipments. Last month, IDC reported that Nokia shipped 88.5 million handsets during the second quarter, helping it to secure 24.2 percent share. Although its shipments were down 20.3 percent, the company still easily bested second-place Samsung, which shipped 70.2 million mobile phones during the period, securing 19.2 percent market share. LG came in third with 6.8 percent share on 24.8 million phone shipments.
Back to smartphones, Research In Motion and HTC rounded out the top five, securing 11.6 percent and 11 percent market share, respectively. RIM's shipments were up 10.7 percent year over year, while HTC's grew by 165.9 percent.
Overall, the worldwide smartphone market grew by 65.4 percent to 106.5 million shipments, IDC said.
IDC's findings follow a similar report last week from research firm Strategy Analytics. That company said 110 million smartphones shipped during the second quarter, and the market was led by Apple with 18.5 percent share. Samsung, the firm said, secured the second spot with 17.5 percent share on 19.2 million smartphones shipped. Nokia came in third in Strategy Analytics' report with 15.2 percent share.

Tags: Nokia, Study, Apple, Smartphones,  iPhone, samsung, Apple iPhone, IDC, iPhone 4, indows Phone 7, iPhone 5, HTC

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20088561-17/apple-iphone-tops-smartphone-charts-in-2nd-quarter/#ixzz1UFzO4oOJ

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