Researchers from MIT and Lawrence Livermore have created a new class of materials with the same density as aerogels (aka frozen smoke ) but 10, 000 times stiffer. Called micro-architected metamaterials, they can withstand 160, 000 times their own weight, making them ideal for load-bearing, weight-sensitive applications. To do it, the team created microscopic lattice molds using a 3D printer and photosensitive feedstock, then coated them with a metal 200 to 500 nanometers thick. Once the lattice material was removed, it left an ultralight metal material with a very high strength-to-weight ratio. The process also works with polymers and ceramics — with the latter, they created a material as light as aerogel, but four orders of magnitude stiffer. In fact, it was 100 times stronger than any known aerogel, making it ideal for use in the aerospace industry. Given that it was funded by DARPA, it could also end up on robots , drones or soldiers . Filed under: Science , Alt Comments

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3D-printed material can carry 160,000 times its own weight

The fourth series of Game of Thrones came to its conclusion just a few days ago, but HBO isn’t leaving anything to chance. Knowing that single episodes are smashing piracy records on Bittorrent, the company has quickly made the whole season available to download on both Google Play and Amazon. As it stands, Amazon is the best place to get your Lannister fix, pricing the full season at £16.99 for a standard definition copy and £23.99 for an HD download. Google, on the other hand, has it up for £18.49 and £24.49 respectively. If you’re after individual episodes, prices start at £1.89 on both services, letting you witness some of the biggest battles (like the one pictured above) the seven kingdoms have ever seen. Update : Tesco is hitting the launch hard too , offering Game of Thrones Season 4 for £17.99 in SD and £23.99 in HD. However, it’s also throwing in 1, 000 Tesco Clubcard points and a free 10″ Finest pizza with every purchase. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Internet , Google , Amazon Comments Via: Pocket-lint Source: Game of Thrones Season 4 (Google Play) , (Amazon) , (Blinkbox)

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‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4 hits Google Play and Amazon just days after the TV finale

Picture a scenario where the government’s accused you of a crime. During its investigation, law enforcement copies your computer’s hard drive to look for evidence of your misdeeds (pursuant to a warrant, of course). Until today, it was unclear if law enforcement could hold onto copies of your data forever. A new Federal Court decision, however, has crystallized things for us all: the government can no longer keep that data indefinitely. United States v. Ganias is the name of the case in question, and the court held that indefinite retention of our digital files is an illegal seizure under the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution. So now, when law enforcement obtains, searches, and finds the data it’s looking for pursuant to a warrant, it’s got to either return the other files it copied or delete them. Unfortunately, the Appeals court didn’t say just how long the government can keep that other data before disposing of it — meaning someone else gets to figure that little detail out. Gotta keep those lower courts busy, right? Filed under: Misc Comments Via: Washington Post Source: 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals (PDF)

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Confiscated data must be returned or deleted if it’s not covered by a warrant

When Motorola unveiled its snappy Moto 360 smartwatch, the first thing we thought was “how do you make a round display?” Sharp has one answer with its new IGZO-based “Free-Form” LCD prototype that can be sculpted into any shape. The company’s current IGZO tech only works with rectangular displays, where the circuits that drive the LCD live on the perimeter of the screen. Sharp managed to bake those chips into the display itself, allowing for not only a shrunken bezel but nearly any display format you might want. That’ll let designers create much more compact car dashboards, new digital signage, unusually shaped monitors and yes, wearables like smartwatches. That likely won’t include the Moto 360, though, since it’s rumored to have an OLED display. Also, Sharp says that the Free-Form display is nearly ready for mass production, but isn’t quite there yet. Filed under: Displays Comments Via: TNW Source: Sharp

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Sharp flaunts Free-Form displays for funky-shaped devices

With Vertu finally offering an up-to-date luxury phone, we naturally had to check out the Signature Touch up close and personal. After all, it’s not everyday that one gets to play with a $21, 900 phone for free (though you can do so at any Vertu boutique, as long as you’re nicely dressed). For those who haven’t caught up with the announcement, we’re looking at a 4.7-inch 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip, 64GB of storage, 13MP/2.1MP cameras, a 2, 275mAh battery, Qi wireless charging, NFC and a handful of LTE bands. With the exception of the battery (which, to be fair, is already much larger than those on previous models), these are all very decent for an Android 4.4 device. As hinted by its name, the Signature Touch continues the legacy of the Signature series by carrying its iconic features. Under Vertu’s new lead designer, Ignacio Germade, the masculine “V-spine” design and the D-ring latch (for popping open the Micro SIM tray cover) remain; though the ceramic ear pillow is now smaller and makes way for a titanium chin, instead of being surrounded by a metallic bezel. Another notable change is that the stereo speakers — developed in partnership with Bang & Olufsen — are now facing the front, which makes a lot more sense than the sideway speakers on the similar-looking Ti . The ringtones produced by the London Symphony Orchestra sounded exceptional on those speakers, which isn’t a surprise. According to Hutch Hutchison, Vertu’s Head of Concept Creation and Design, each ringtone is tuned for optimal effect on each model, rather than just copying the same audio files to the whole range. A new addition on this end is the set of Dolby Digital Plus effects, which should come in handy for watching movies and playing games. Another big collaboration on the Signature Touch lies within its 13-megapixel and 2.1-megapixel cameras. We’re still surprised that Vertu managed to get renowned camera maker Hasselblad to help optimize the imaging performance; though sadly, we’ll have to wait for the final camera software before we can judge the results. As with all Vertu devices, the Signature Touch has a dense, expensive feel with its 192g weight and hard metallic body. We didn’t dare to do any torture test, but the grade 5 titanium body, the fifth-gen sapphire screen and the conditioned leather should stand the test of time. In addition to the usual drop test and steel ball test, the company’s also made sure that this hand-assembled phone would operate just fine from as low as -45 degrees Fahrenheit all the way up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. The Signature Touch comes in a range of skins and colors. You start at $10, 300/£6, 750 with the basic “Jet Leather” (black and silver) or “Claret Leather” (red and silver), followed by other skin options (lizard or alligator) plus PVD coating option for the titanium frame, and capping at $21, 900/£14, 350 for the maxed-out “Pure Jet Red Gold” edition (black and gold). We actually liked the “Pure Navy Lizard” and the “Damson Lizard” the most for their unique textures, whereas Vertu’s CEO Max Pogliani currently carries an equally exotic “Jet Alligator” customized with a black PVD titanium body (by default it’s a bare metal body). The lucky folks who have the cash to spare tend not to have a problem picking their favorite variants. In fact, some are known to buy multiple versions of the same model, thus also accumulating years worth of bundled one-year concierge service in the process (it’s otherwise “just” £2, 000 or about $3, 400 annually for the classic service, or double that to continue having a dedicated agent). If we were given a chance to try this service, we’d totally just get a butler to write up this article while we sit by the pool at an exclusive clubhouse. Disclaimer: This article was not written by a butler. Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile Comments

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This is what a $22,000 Android phone feels like

For some just the phrase “P-touch” elicits feelings of organizational euphoria. We get that label makers aren’t exactly the sexiest gadgets in the world, but like ever other gadget there is a need to evolve. Brother took the obvious route and just crammed a wireless radio into the PT-P750W. Under the hood is a WiFi radio that multiple computers, phones and tablets can connect to and, since you have the option of powering it with batteries (either 6 AAs or a rechargeable lithium ion pack), you can even use it while travelling. Even set up is painfully simple since there’s an NFC pad at the top that will automatically connect your phone to it. Obviously, it takes a certain kind of person to spend $130 on a label maker, but there are more enough people out there with a fetish for organization. And, if we’re being honest, there might be a few of them on staff here. Filed under: Peripherals Comments Source: Brother

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Wireless label maker is a boon for cable-hating office supply fetishists

Long before Nokia took up residence at Microsoft and became enamored with Windows Phone, the company had another Mobile OS to care for: Symbian . For awhile, it was the most widely used smartphone OS in the world, and according to a Finnish TV station, being its custodian was no easy task: in 2007 Nokia apparently paid several million euros to keep its encryption key private. MTV News (no, not that MTV ) reports that criminals threatened to release the encryption key into the wild, potentially opening the OS to attacks and malware by unsavory programmers. Naturally, Nokia contacted the police, hoping to catch the crooks when they attempted to collect their ransom in a Tampere parking lot. Sadly, something went wrong: after the criminals collected the untold millions, Police somehow lost track of them. The suspects, their encryption code and Nokia’s bag of money were gone. MTV News and Reuters both indecently verified the blackmail with Finnish police, which is still considered an open case. These days, Symbian is a bit more open source — but remember: once it was a big enough driving force in the mobile market to be held for ransom. Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , Nokia Comments Source: MTV News , Reuters

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​Symbian was once held ransom for several million euros, and Nokia paid it

The US government will now allow the likes of Google and Microsoft’s Bing to use satellite images containing far more detail. Previous restrictions stopped anything smaller than 50 cm (1.64 feet) being shown on satellite photos. Imaging company Digital Globe was behind the request, and reckons it could well take shots from space that capture things as small as 31 cm. Lawyer Marc Daultich told the BBC that this could raise security concerns, although this restriction didn’t really encompass the blurring or otherwise obscuring of sensitive locations. Digital Globe plans to launch new satellites following the decision and says it’ll be able to take thrilling photos of ” key features such as manholes and mailboxes”. And hopefully something a little more interesting, too. Filed under: GPS Comments Source: BBC

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US government lifts restrictions on high-detail satellite imaging

Every Steam Machine shown so far has amounted to a small desktop PC. But what if you want to take that gaming experience on the road? Well, you might get your wish — meet Steamboy , a handheld take on Valve’s platform. On the outside, it’s pretty much what you’d expect; it looks like an Steam Controller prototype (including the signature touchpads) with a 5-inch display slotted in between. Its creator (Steamboy Machine) isn’t giving out many other details right now, but it tells The Escapist that the device’s quad-core processor (likely either an Intel Atom or AMD A4) and 4GB of RAM “won’t be as powerful” as other Steam Machines. That’s not surprising given the size, however, and it should play the “majority” of titles. There are also promises of 3G mobile data and 32GB of built-in storage. It sounds promising, even if the device is likely going to be limited to low-intensity games. However, that’s also assuming that this mini Steam Machine makes its 2015 release window. Right now, Steamboy exists as little more than a slick teaser video and a set of specifications — there’s no prototype to prove that this will be a real product. We’ve reached out to the team for more details, but you might not want to cancel that 3DS or PS Vita purchase until it’s clear that Steamboy will ship. Filed under: Gaming , Handhelds Comments Via: The Escapist , Engadget Spanish (translated) Source: Steamboy Machine

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Someone is making a handheld Steam game system

Microsoft constantly reminds us that Google scans email in order to sell ads . Now it’s adapting its policies to specifically state that it won’t engage in the same practices as its rival. Well, not all of them. In an effort to be more transparent and build trust, the company has updated its service agreement and privacy policy to make it clear that it will not access your content to sell ads. “We do not use what you say in email, chat, video calls, or voicemail to target advertising to you, ” Microsoft notes. “Nor do we use your documents, photos, or other personal files to target advertising to you.” However, the policy, which covers most of Microsoft’s online services, including Bing, Outlook and OneDrive, won’t come into effect until July 31st. To be clear, however, Microsoft isn’t ignoring your data completely, and there are still a few clauses to be aware of. While Microsoft says it won’t access your content to sell you ads, it does state that it will collect data from your account. The company says this content includes “your communications and your files, ” which ranges from words in an email or documents stored on OneDrive. It’s a muddy area, but Microsoft says it does so in order to gain an insight into how you use its services. Remember when Microsoft came under fire for rifling through someone’s Hotmail account without permission? The company vowed to go through a more stringent process in future cases and has updated its policy to reflect that change. Instead of inspecting content on its own, it will now refer suspicious activity to law enforcement. All of the changes have been made available before the July 31st deadline so you can run through the new terms with a fine-toothed comb. If you want to opt out, Microsoft will kindly show you the door — you’ll need to either stop using its services or close your account. Filed under: Internet , Microsoft Comments Via: Neowin Source: Microsoft Service Agreement , Privacy Policy

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Microsoft expands its pledge not to sell ads against your private data