As you probably know, bistable or passive displays like the E-Ink ones in e-readers focus on battery life and readability rather than color and interactivity. The latest devices have been optimized for fast page refreshes and touch operation, but generally you’re still waiting a half a second or so for the screen to flip over to the next page, menu, or what have you.

But that’s not all they’re capable of. We’ve seen hacks before, but this one definitely takes the cake. Check out this video of a Nook Touch from XDA hacker marspeople:

Bear in mind this is strictly a hack and not a full-on release or commercially developed product. Most people wouldn’t want to use the device in this state: it’s not consistent in how fast it responds, there are graphical glitches, and it probably drains the battery like crazy. But the fact is they’ve got a passive display refreshing ~15-20 times per second and responding to touches instantly like a normal tablet.

The possibilities for this generation of readers are limited: few people are going to install a hack like this, and even if they did, not much content is really designed to be consumed this way. Pages are a natural way to read books, and scrolling constantly is kind of a pain. But it’s amazing to see these displays, usually so slow and static, being used so actively. Here’s hoping the next displays from E-Ink (or Bridgestone, or whoever) are capable of even more. Despite what people might say, the passive display still has a lot of potential to grow and evolve.

[via The Digital Reader]

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Hack Makes Nook Touch E-Ink Display Almost As Responsive As LCD

Verizon’s 4G LTE network is experiencing outages across the U.S.

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4G network outage hits Verizon Wireless

VoiceBunny is an online spot-market for professional voiceovers for your videos, podcasts, voicemail systems, etc. I imagine that involving the “In a world where…” movie trailer voice in your threatening Anonymous video would sure leaven things and give them an air of professionalism and polish. They also offer work to voice actors.

Fast and professional voices for any type of project.

* You determine the price or royalties

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VoiceBunny: Fast and professional voiceovers

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Online spot market for voiceovers

The Apple Store in Charlotte’s Northlake Mall is presumably like any other: clean, crisp, tidy. But underneath the pristine veneer, an unidentified employee spent nearly six weeks this winter stealing iPhone after iPhone from the Genius Room. Twenty-five handsets, to be precise, worth $16,425 retail. Steal different! More »

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Bad Apple Store Genius Stole $16,000 in iPhones [True Crime]

If you’ve ever stuck your fingers together with super glue, you know pain. But imagine sticking them together with glue that bonds materials at the molecular level: that’s real pain. It’s also what scientists are doing, with the help of flesh-eating bacteria. More »

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Insanely Strong Molecular Glue, Inspired by Flesh-Eating Bacteria [Science]

New submitter Marillion writes “Photographer Mark Byron was so bothered by his pending divorce and child visitation issues that he blasted his soon-to-be ex-wife on his personal Facebook page. That touched off a battle that resulted in a Hamilton County judge ordering Byron jailed for his Facebook rant — and to post on his page an apology to his wife and all of his Facebook friends, something free speech experts found troubling.”

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Man Ordered To Apologize To Wife On Facebook

Let’s face it, walkie-talkies are far from glamorous, but for large and small enterprises that rely on real-time communication, the WWII artifact remains an integral part of the workday. Now, AT&T has set forth on a journey to give its push-to-talk services a modern makeover, and it’s recruiting a few partners to join the quest. In addition to providing PTT-enabled smartphones, the carrier will be testing IP-based technologies that offer workflow automation for tasks such as fleet management and dispatch. Additionally, the system will also offer integration with traditional radio systems such as PMR and LMR, which means an organization won’t need to transition its entire crew at once. You can find more about AT&T’s hybrid communications system in the PR after the break.

Continue reading AT&T launches pilot program for expanded push-to-talk services

AT&T launches pilot program for expanded push-to-talk services originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T launches pilot program for expanded push-to-talk services

kodiaktau writes “Google is working to deliver a heads-up display allowing users access to email, maps and other tools through a wearable interface. According to the NY Times’ sources, the device will be available later this year, and sell for prices comparable to smartphones. ‘The people familiar with the Google glasses said they would be Android-based, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from someone’s eye. They will also have a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS. … The glasses will have a low-resolution built-in camera that will be able to monitor the world in real time and overlay information about locations, surrounding buildings and friends who might be nearby, according to the Google employees. The glasses are not designed to be worn constantly — although Google expects some of the nerdiest users will wear them a lot — but will be more like smartphones, used when needed.'”

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Google Heads Up Display Coming By the End of the Year

AMD’s Trinity APU can do some remarkable things, but we still don’t know exactly what magic ingredients make its Piledriver cores superior to the tepidly received Bulldozer. Now though, a firm called Cyclos claims it’s supplying ‘resonant clock mesh’ power-saving technology for use in the new module. In speaking to the media, it’s revealed that this will help to enable a “4+ GHz” factory clock speed, which sounds high if it definitely refers to an integrated chip with low-power credentials. As for the resonant clock mesh itself, it’s a bit like KERS for processors: it recycles clock power instead of letting it dissipate and thereby enables higher clock speeds in “next generation SoCs that also require ultra-low power consumption.” We also know that the technology is financially backed by ARM and Siemens and has seen precious little implementation prior to AMD — which is fine, so long as all that resonance doesn’t make our rig hum even louder.

AMD Piledriver cores will clock over 4GHz, employ ‘resonant clock mesh’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD Piledriver cores will clock over 4GHz, employ ‘resonant clock mesh’

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—File-sharing magnate Kim Dotcom was granted bail Wednesday morning New Zealand time, after the judge hearing his application ruled that the Megaupload founder has no access to funds to help him flee the country.

As part of the bail conditions, Dotcom must reside at his leased Coatesville, Auckland mansion. He cannot travel more than 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, from the Coatesville residence on which no helicopters are allowed. Earlier bail applications by Dotcom failed as he was thought to have access to helicopters and chartered private jet planes with which he could flee New Zealand.

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Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom granted bail, barred from Internet