WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week)

If you can't quite scrounge up the $200 it takes to buy a quality 7-inch slab these days, Amazon may have a solution for you: sell them your attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to develop a ad-supported tablet that would display advertisements whenever the screen is turned on. Sound familiar? Like the ad-supported Kindle readers Amazon's already dabbled with, subsided tablets would ring in at a lower price tag then their ad-free counterparts. WSJ sources also mentioned that some versions of the device would be WiFi only, potentially lowering the price even further. No word yet, if you'll be able to buy yourself out of the ads later, of course.

Update: Care for a thicker plot? CNET is now reporting that Amazon will reveal two new Kindle Fire tablets next week -- an all new 7-inch wonder and a slightly reworked version of the original. While a brand new slab could be an obvious contender for the 7-inch tablet crown, a refreshed version of Amazon's original hardware could very well fit the ad-supported bill. Check out CNET's full report at the source link below.

Filed under: Tablets

WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers use bioimpedance as a biometric, let health monitor devices know who you are

Wouldn't it be great if fitness and medical gadgets automatically knew who was wearing them? Researchers from Dartmouth have come up with a new way to provide health monitors just such an ability using a tiny electric current and a bioimpedance sensor. You see, each person's body provides a different amount of opposition to electrical current, so bioimpedance can be a unique biometric identifier. The researchers' idea is to create a bracelet that uses bioimpedance readings to recognize its wearer in a secure, unobtrusive manner and communicate that identity to other wearable devices.

Using such a bracelet, "the devices discover each other's presence, recognize that they are on the same body (and transitively learn from the wrist device whose body), develop shared secrets from which to derive encryption keys, and establish reliable and secure communications." As opposed to other biometrics or password authentication, bioimpedance readings can be taken passively, which is much more appealing than remembering passcodes or scanning fingerprints and retinas. For now, the researchers have created an eight-electrode proof-of-concept bracelet, but its accuracy leaves something to be desired -- it correctly identifies its wearer only 80 to 90 percent of the time, whereas fingerprint recognition has a failure rate of less than 1 in 1,000. So, we're a ways off from bioimpedance-based security, but research is ongoing, and you can learn all about it at the source below.

Filed under: Wearables, Science

Researchers use bioimpedance as a biometric, let health monitor devices know who you are originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Now hits some rooted devices, adds topping to your Ice Cream Sandwich

If you can't wait to subject Google Now to an epic interrogation of your own but don't have access to Android's Jelly Bean-flavored OS, then you may want to check out what's cooking over at the XDA Developers forums. If you've got a rooted ARMv7 device with Ice Cream Sandwich and ClockWorkMod Recovery, it's actually possible to start enjoying Google's take on the virtual personal assistant on your smartphone right now. As usual, you'll need to download the requisite file and partake in some good, old flashing action. Folks who appreciate having options can also take their pick between a fuller Google Now experience or a more stripped down version by hitting the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones

Google Now hits some rooted devices, adds topping to your Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. Cellular pledges to carry Windows Phone 8 devices in the fall

U.S. Cellular has confirmed to PC Mag that it's "excited" by the prospect of carrying Windows Phone 8 handsets when they land later this year. A PR person even went as far as saying that WP8 "will be an important part of our lineup." The move leaves Sprint, Cricket and MetroPCS as the only major-league holdouts for the new platform -- or perhaps their PR departments just aren't as bubbly.

U.S. Cellular pledges to carry Windows Phone 8 devices in the fall originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC says it's running out of identification codes, promises to make room for new devices

All those fancy slabs sneaking their way through federal inspection take their toll, and the friendly folks at the FCC are starting to feel it. According to an official statement from the Federal Communications Commission, it's receiving applications for more wireless device authorizations than ever before, and it's exhausting its pool of identification codes. In addition to expanding its allotment of identifier codes for companies requesting equipment authorization, the feds also considering new ways to improve the authorization process, such as clarifying administrative requirements. The bottom line? We won't see any shortage of devices breaking through the federal lines any time soon. Check out the FCC's official statement after the break.

Continue reading FCC says it's running out of identification codes, promises to make room for new devices

FCC says it's running out of identification codes, promises to make room for new devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Personal Networks - Wireless Networking for Personal Devices PDF

Written by experts in the field, this book describes the Personal Network architecture and its various components

This book focuses on networking and security aspects of Personal Networks (PNs). Given a single user, the authors propose an architecture for PNs in which devices are divided into one of two types of nodes: personal nodes and foreign nodes. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate the ways in which PNs can be formed in a self-organized and secure way, how they can be interconnected using infrastructure networks, how multiple PNs can be connected, and how their services and resources can be shared. In addition, the book shows how security and ease-of-use can be achieved through automatic configuration and how mobility can be supported through adaptability and self-organization. The motivations for the PN concept, the PN architecture, its functionalities and features, as well as future challenges are covered in depth. Finally, the authors consider the potential applications for PNs and briefly discuss additional support systems for PN applications. The latter includes service discovery and context information management among others.

Key Features:

- Describes the PN network architecture and its various components in-depth
- Written by experts who developed this concept
- Discusses the newer topic of federations of PNs
- Considers potential PN applications, and demonstrates how applications support systems, such as service discovery and context management, can assist the applications
- Provides an insight into the challenges of future personal networking, architectures for PNs, potential and important solutions, and their implications

This book will serve as an invaluable reference for researchers, developers, and standardization experts in mobile and wireless communication systems and services. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students in the field of telecommunications.

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