navigating dataland Moving away from the hardware, the virtual space is dubbed "Dataland," and consists of a 2 1/2D plane with ports that offer access to additional panes. One of the nearby TV monitors will always show the full world view, and the room's large screen functions as a window onto that selected surface. To the left, you can see a prototype of that view from another paper around the same time, "A Prototype Spatial Data Management System." Compared to Lion's multiple desktops, for example, the primary screen would show just a single desktop, while all of your other desktops would be visible and just a touch away on a nearby monitor. The system offers two primary ways of navigation: the joystick lets users fly ... Continue reading →

Fujifilm X-Pro1 review Fujifilm has a history of making beautiful cameras, particularly in its X series. The X100 and X10 are more than just pretty faces, too — both deliver gorgeous pictures and video. They're designed more as companions to a DSLR rather than your one and only camera, though, and the entry price is high for that kind of camera. In January at CES, Fujifilm stole the show by releasing a camera that could be your one and only: the X-Pro1, which pairs the company's flair for retro design with interchangeable lenses. Technically speaking, there's a lot to like about the camera in addition to its lens mount or its good looks: a 16-megapixel APS-C X-Trans sensor that Fujifilm claims could rival many full-frame ... Continue reading →

When U.S. cell carriers tout their latest and greatest data networks, promising blazing-fast data speeds and increased coverage, they typically don't mention the actual, physical labor involved in upgrading a cellular network. Blissfully abstract bandwidth numbers make it easy to forget where such high-speed connectivity comes from: namely, workers climbing towers hundreds of feet in the air and refitting them with new equipment. A joint investigation by Frontline and ProPublica takes a look at those tower climbers – and why theirs is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Between 2003 and 2011, 50 climbers were killed at cell sites around the country; many died in preventable falls, despite long-standing Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations requiring safety harnesses. The investigation found a widespread ... Continue reading →

Motorola has updated its timeline for Ice Cream Sandwich updates for a number of devices, several of which should see Android 4.0 within the next few months. In the US, both the Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx are expected to receive ICS before the end of the second quarter, while the 3G model of the Xoom should see the update during the same period. Meanwhile a number of devices will be upgraded to Android 4.0 during the third quarter — including both the 8.2-inch and 10.1-inch versions of the Xyboard, the Droid 4, and the Droid Bionic. On the other end of the spectrum, the list also confirms that both the Droid 3 and X2 won't be receiving any more updates, but instead will remain ... Continue reading →

Microsoft has revealed that it has made some big changes to its desktop UI for Windows 8, which includes moving away from Aero Glass — the UI first introduced with Vista. According to the company, this means visual changes that include "flattening surfaces, removing reflections, and scaling back distracting gradients." Despite all of these changes with the interface, the company doesn't appear to be worried about the issue of "learnability." Instead, Microsoft believes that with a little help it won't take long for users to adapt to the new operating system. "We will help people get off on the right foot," the company explained in a blog post, "and we have confidence that people will quickly find the new paradigms to be second-nature." While Microsoft ... Continue reading →

The Nitty Gritty The appeal of Pipe can't be witnessed on paper, but is instead evident in its visual simplicity. You drag a file from your desktop onto a Super Mario-esque green pipe on your screen and the file disappears, transferring in real time to a friend on the other end of the pipe. The file appears on your friend's screen, and that's about it. "It's simple and it does its job," Hossell said, and that's the point. "Do less" is the school of thought Hossell subscribes to. "We had a lot of discussions about the pipe," Hossell said, "and the sense of relief you get from dropping a file into it. You can feel the volume. It feels like a real pipe coming out ... Continue reading →

Last week, Hewlett-Packard introduced a new category of laptop that made consumer technology enthusiasts hang their heads. Called "Sleekbooks," the specific machines that HP revealed actually don't sound bad: they're thin, relatively cheap, and boast up to nine hours of battery life. The problem is that the word "Sleekbook" doesn't necessarily mean anything. Words have meaning, and if left unchecked, their meaning can change over time. For instance, in 2007, the word "netbook" stood for an exceptionally tiny, inexpensive laptop with unheard-of battery life. Fast-forward a few years, though, and netbook is practically a derogatory term. It's used to describe a machine that's sorely underpowered. That's because despite the fact that the original 1.6GHz Intel Atom + 1GB RAM + 250GB hard drive formula eventually ... Continue reading →