Tech news from metro.us/philadelphia

Rickroll: Rick Astley video available again on YouTube after 24-hour removal

CASSANDRA GARRISON, NEW YORK — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:40:50 -0400

We were never gonna give him up, and it looks like we didn't have to.

Rick Astley’s 1987 music video "Never Gonna Give You Up" — made famous by "Rickrolling" — was briefly removed from YouTube over a copyright complaint, but the Internet breathed a collective sigh of relief after it became available again this afternoon. He's back, people!

Why was this precious internet jewel that fueled a digital prank revolution taken from us in the first place? AVG Technologies removed it due to a copyright conflict, though nobody seems to understand why a company that specializes anti-virus protection would have an issue with a five-year-old video with millions of views.

Rickrolling stormed the scene in 2007 when the bait-and-switch prank gained momentum by tricking people and redirecting them to the music video when they thought they were clicking on something else (i.e. "You just got Rickrolled!). And people freaked out today when they though the video was gone forever.

Rest easy, though, it's back. Rickrolling lives on.

Pinterest for your bucket list

CONTRIBUTED BY MASHABLE, NEW YORK — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:37:02 -0400

A new social network has an interesting premise: connecting people around the world based on what they want to do before they die.

Called "My Last Wish," the app encourages users to post wishes on a "Wish Wall" and then befriend others who might share their dreams.

"I believed in the possibility that there can be two persons in this world with the same hopes, dreams and wishes," Kirtan Thaker, co-founder of the White Lotus Corporation, the group behind the app, told Mashable. "I was confident that if we create a app where this possibility can be turned into reality, people will love this concept and they will get a chance to make friends who are unknown but [have] just one thing in common, which is the last wish."

When sharing a wish, users can also choose to attach their e-mail address or phone number so others that share their dream can connect with them. Tapping on a person's contact information within the app will add their information to the contacts list in your phone. You can also receive push notifications when people add wishes to the wall.

A palm icon appears beside wishes, allowing you to "aLike" a wish you share, or "give a five" to that person to express your support for their wish and become friends.

While definitely a little morbid, and certainly out of the ordinary, the app already has a little bit of a following. Posted wishes range from things such as traveling the world to writing a book. Thaker says that the ultimate goal behind the app is to help people make friends that share similar hopes and dreams, or even help someone potentially find his or her soul mate.

White Lotus plans to add a location-based feature to the app in the future to help you find people located physically around you, and if the iOS version of the app does well the company plans to release an Android version as well.

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Five things you didn't know about Priscilla Chan, the new Mrs. Zuckerberg

CASSANDRA GARRISON, NEW YORK — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:27:04 -0400

Priscilla Chan has been by the side of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg for nearly nine years, but she recaptured the attention of America over the weekend when she said "I do" in a surprise wedding ceremony.

Chan, 27, and Zuckerberg, 28, were married in Palo Alto after guests thought they were attending a party for Chan to celebrate her graduation from medical school. Instead, Chan walked down the aisle and became the wife of one of the world's youngest billionaires.

So, who is Priscilla Chan? What kind of woman does it take to be the long-time girlfriend and now wife of the world's most famous nerd? Their road to newlyweds was long and one that began when they met in college. Our new-found fascination with Chan led us to some in-depth research into the past of the tech world's newest blushing bride. Here are five facts about Priscilla Chan that you didn't know:

1. Chan met Zuckerberg at a Harvard frat party and thought he was a nerd. The two bumped into each other while she was waiting in line for the restroom.

"He was this nerdy guy who was just a little bit out there. I remember he had these beer glasses that said 'pound include beer dot H.' It's a tag for C++. It’s like college humor but with a nerdy, computer-science appeal," she told The New Yorker in 2010.

Little did she know years later, this nerd would be a household name and one she would marry.

2. Though she had been his girlfriend for seven years, Chan and Zuckerberg weren't "Facebook official" until 2011 when they both finally changed their profile statuses to read "in a relationship."

And as the old saying goes, "First comes love, then comes marriage," their Facebook timelines proved to be a precursor to a bigger commitment.

3. She speaks three languages. Chan is fluent in English, Spanish and Cantonese. She also encouraged Zuckerberg to learn Mandarin in preparation for a trip they took together to China. Zuckerberg studied each morning for a year and was able to carry on a conversation with Chan's Chinese grandmother.

4. She made Zuckerberg sign a "relationship contract." Chan agreed to move to Palo Alto to be closer to the Facebook mogul, but only after she negotiated a set of terms for their relationship. Most of the contract has been kept under wraps, but one thing we do know is that time together was one of the big sticking points.

"One date per week, a minimum of a hundred minutes of alone time, not in his apartment and definitely not at Facebook," was one of Chan's stipulations.

5. Mark Zuckerberg personally designed her ring, according to a source close to the couple. Instead of a multi-carat diamond, its focal point is "a very simple ruby."

Chan wore a sheer-backed gown with ivory embroidery called "Sky Between the Branches" by designer Claire Pettibone, who is known for her whimsical, vintage-inspired creations. Chan's gown is priced at $4,700.

Their wedding details were some of the best kept secrets in "celebrity" history. Less than 100 guests saw the couple exchange vows in the backyard of their home. Zuckerberg announced their nuptials on his Facebook timeline the next day.

How in the world is Pinterest worth $1.5 billion?

REUTERS — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:23:58 -0400

Social networking site Pinterest has raised $100 million from a group of investors led by Japanese online retailing giant Rakuten Inc in a deal that reportedly values the three-year-old U.S. company at $1.5 billion.

Rakuten said it was joined in the capital-raising by existing shareholders Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, FirstMark Capital and a number of angel investors.

The new round of financing values Pinterest — one of Silicon Valley's fastest growing startups — at $1.5 billion, up sharply from $200 million late last year, Wall Street Journal said.

Valuations for tech startups have been rising dramatically, as illustrated by Facebook's $1 billion purchase of photo-sharing application Instagram last month.

Pinterest, an online scrapbook where users can "pin" images and follow others, has grown from less than one million users in May 2011 to about 20 million in April, according to comScore. It is the 16th most-visited site in the United States, according to Web information company Alexa.

The Palo Alto, California-based company, which was launched in the fall of 2009, is led by co-founder Ben Silberman.

The funding will help Pinterest expand into Japan and Rakuten's 17 other markets, Rakuten said.

"We see tremendous synergies between Pinterest's vision and Rakuten's model for e-commerce," Rakuten Chief Executive Hiroshi Mikitani said in a statement.

Apple readies iPhone with bigger screen: Sources

Reuters — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:59:47 -0400

Apple Inc plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan, people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.

The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple keeps other dimensions proportional. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007.

Early production of the new screens has begun at three suppliers: Korea's LG Display Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Japan Display Inc, a Japanese government-brokered merger combining the screen production of three companies.

It is likely all three of the screen suppliers will get production orders from Apple, which could begin as soon as June. That would allow the new iPhone to go into production as soon as August, if the company follows its own precedent in moving from orders for prototypes for key components to launch.

Apple's decision to equip the next iPhone with a larger screen represents part of a competitive response to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Samsung unveiled its top-of-the line Galaxy smartphone with a 4.8-inch touch-screen and a faster processor earlier this month.

With consumers becoming more and more comfortable using smartphones for tasks they once performed on laptops, like watching video, other smartphone manufacturers have also moved toward bigger displays.

AESTHETICS AND DESIGN

A likely shakeup in the design of a larger-screen iPhone could go a long way in boosting its "wow" factor, convincing fans to trade in their old iPhones for new ones, said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee.

"Not only do users pay for features, but they also pay for aesthetics and design. That's as important, or more important, than features," Wu said. "People love the current design -- but it's 18 months old."

The latest iPhone 4S was introduced in October of last year and essentially has the same form factor as the iPhone 4, launched in 2010.

Samsung, which this year became the world's largest cell phone maker, sold 45 million smartphones in the first quarter, and sales of the Galaxy phones outstripped the iPhone.

Apple was not immediately available to comment.

Apple's move toward a larger display for the next generation iPhone was earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to being Apple's rival, Samsung is also a major components supplier to the U.S. computer, tablet and phone manufacturer.

The share of the production of new screens that go to each of the three manufacturers working with Apple has not been determined, one source said.

Sales of the touch-screen iPhone now account for about one-half of Apple's total sales, and the phone has been a key source of growth for the company in Asia.

A report in March by a South Korea business newspaper said Apple would use a "retina" display on the next iPhone, the same technology in its latest iPad that enhance image quality.

Sidescroller: A review of 'Mario Tennis Open' and 'Starhawk'

NEW YORK — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:04:31 -0400

Remember that mountain of gold Scrooge McDuck would swim through? That's about how expensive it is to make a top-tier video game these days. As a result, developers simply can't risk giving one console an exclusive to call its own.

Console manufacturers, though, can still flex that "we've got what the other one doesn't have" muscle. Here are reviews of two.

'Mario Tennis Open'
Console: 3DS
Company: Nintendo
Grade: 4/5
Nintendo is essentially the king of exclusive titles, and nobody speaks to that more than everyone's favorite Italian plumber. Mario, just like Joe, may be a plumber in name only. He spends most of his time saving princesses and playing sports. Now he's back on the tennis court, this time in 3-D!
"Mario Tennis Open" is pretty similar in layout to last year's "Mario Kart 7." There are tons of courts, characters and play styles. The online play, available in 1-on-1 and 2-on-2, retains the high watermark set by "MK7." The game tries too hard to shoehorn in touch-screen and gyroscope control, but it's still an addictive and fun game of cartoon tennis.

'Starhawk'
Console: PS3
Company: Sony
Grade: 4/5
If Nintendo is the king of exclusives, Sony is definitely an archduke. The company has the "Uncharted" series, "Resistance," "God of War" and too many more to list. Now they have "Starhawk," too.

This third-person action title has a pretty generic single player campaign. The writing is lazy and doesn't adequately capture the majesty of the space Western. Some of the set-pieces are cool, but a great many are forgettable. So why the high score? The multiplayer is seriously amazing. Like, "hold your pee in for 16 hours because you are so addicted" amazing. Thirty-two people in space battling it out on foot, in ships or however else they want. It's the craziest online experience to be had on the PS3.

Google’s self-driving car gets a license in Nevada

STAN SCHROEDER, MASHABLE — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:08:35 -0400

The state of Nevada has issued a first license for one of Google's self-driving cars -- provided there are two people inside the car at all times, The Associated Press reports.

Nevada's DMV has issued the license after conducting demonstrations that the car is safe for testing on public streets.

Google's self-driving cars use a laser radar on the roof of the vehicle to detect obstacles, pedestrians and other cars. With the help of GPS and a bit of artificial intelligence, the car can drive itself with very little or no intervention from the human sitting inside.

That said, Nevada's regulations require two people in the test cars: one in the driver's seat, and other monitoring a computer screen that shows the car's planned route as well as traffic lights and other potential hazards on the road.

As soon as the "driver" touches the brake or the wheel, he takes control of the vehicle.

We had a chance to test out one of Google's self-driving cars in March 2011, and the results were good: no glitches, no unwanted close encounters with walls or other obstacles.

However, in August 2011 one of Google's cars caused an accident on the road.

The lesson of Sarah Phillips is clear: Everyone needs to change their Twitter picture to a hot girl

NATE JONES — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:18:26 -0400

Yesterday, Deadspin broke the story of Sarah Phillips, a freelance sports-betting columnist who in her spare time, it seems, was casually scamming a multitude of bettors and meme-makers out of their hard-earned cash. Here's one sample interaction with a man named Matt, which has the air of a terrible pulp novel:

A few days later, Phillips asked Matt for his advice on a Cardinals-Brewers game. The over/under for the game was 7.5 runs. Matt told her to take the over. She said she was betting $3,000 on the game. She sent him the betting slip to prove it, and he thought this was way over the top. Well, he thought to himself, at least I'm not betting against her.

The final score of the game? 5-2. She lost her $3,000, and she was mad. She responded by sending him an invoice for $5,000 through Nilesh Prasad.

"She said I owed her that money in addition to thousands more for reasons unbeknownst to me," he told Deadspin. "She said if I didn't paypal it to her that night she would have the LAPD come to my apartment and rob me. I told her I don't carry cash, and kept a hunting knife by my bed for three weeks." (According to a screengrab of a Gchat conversation, she told him the LAPD would "cordially come by" his apartment to take the money).

In another instance, Phillips and Prasad allegedly manipulated the college student behind the NBA Memes Facebook page into letting him give them control of the account, after which they removed him as an administrator and began using the page to redirect traffic to their own Sports Comedy Network.

How was Phillips able to swindle so easily? Well, having the ESPN name attached to your Twitter bio doesn't hurt. But you can't deny the impact of Phillips' Twitter image — a young, attractive college student — on getting guys to want to keep talking to her. (We should note here though that life as an attractive woman comes with its own set of problems, and guys who complain that hot girls get everything handed to them on a plate usually have some sort of issues.)

To test out how easy it was to accumulate a following on Twitter, NBA writer Myles Brown tried an experiment, switching his Twitter avatar to the same one Phillips used:

Funny story: Ever since she was exposed as a fraud, Sarah Phillips gained 2,000 followers.
— Myles Brown (@mdotbrown) May 2, 2012

I've gained about 100 since I took her avi. Men are still stupid. News at 11.
— Myles Brown (@mdotbrown) May 2, 2012

Which got us thinking: Could other Tweeters improve their online following by making a similar move? Check out these edited Tweets and tell us, would you be more likely to follow them?

(All images taken, like Phillip's early headshots, from Hot Chicks With Douchebags.)

Sidescroller: The sound of gaming

NEW YORK — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:42:47 -0400

Everywhere you go, it's "graphics this" and "graphics that." All of this anti-ear propaganda has got to stop! Without audio, collecting coins and stomping on Goombas would be a sad, loveless affair. Certain peripheral manufacturers understand this and are doing their best to make modern games sound as good as they look. Here are a few recent attempts at aural greatness.

A30 Wireless Headset and Mixamp
Company: ASTRO Gaming
Grade: 4/5
So, you actually respect your neighbors? Then you may not want to blast "Call of Duty" at 4 a.m. Use the A30 Wireless Headset and Mixamp instead. Astro Gaming's little beauty lets you fully customize what you hear while you frag the heck out of some random 13-year-olds. Want to focus on their incessant whining? The A30 lets you do that. It's all wireless, so you can lay on the couch with nothing to hold you back from utter and complete lethargy. Yes!

Nyko Vita Speaker Stand
Company: PS Vita
Company: Nyko
Price: $30
Grade: 4/5
If you spent your teen years blowing out your eardrums at punk shows, then portable systems just might not seem loud enough to you. This goes double when using portables to watch Netflix or use Skype. Enter Nyko and its Vita compatible speaker stand. It works like a charm, using a simple cradle, and the price is certainly right. It also doubles as a charger. Finally, you'll be able to understand all of Nathan Drake's snappy one-liners.

Try this

Orb Audio Booster
Company: Orb Audio
Console: PC/TV/All consoles
Grade: 4/5
The main problem with being an audiophile in a big city is space. Who has the room for all of that square footage? Speakers and amps are huge, and we live in exposed-brick coffins. Orb Audio has been chipping away at this problem for years, and its newest creation is the Orb Audio Booster system. This speaker/amp combo sounds nearly as good as a high-end solution but clocks in at about the size of two tennis balls and a small book.

New job site thinks like a matchmaker

SARAH KESSLER, MASHABLE — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:29:41 -0400

When it comes to deciding where to work, you don't want LinkedIn -- you want eHarmony.

At least that's the idea behind Path.to, a job matchmaking start-up launching on Tuesday.

The new website asks job candidates to fill out a survey about their job preferences including location, salary, benefits and work environment. Other users can vouch for their skills, and endorsements are weighted depending on the reputation of those who give them.

To further verify their interests and expertise, candidates connect their profiles to social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, and to professional communities, such as Behance, Dribbble, Forrst and Github.

Path.to uses all of this information to create a compatibility rating for each job it recommends. When candidates apply, employers can easily rank them by the same score. Both parties can indicate which results they like and dislike in order to improve future results.

For now, Path.to only lists tech jobs in San Francisco's Bay Area. The start-up has signed up about 120 hiring companies to pay per job listing. It has also accepted a $1.5 million investment from staffing firm Adecco and plans to incorporate a product for third-party staffing firms at some point.

But a recent review of dating sites that use algorithms to match potential couples found their claims of predicting true love don't pan out. Can an algorithmic matchmaking process work any better when it comes to jobs? "What eHarmony is looking for is a deeper, emotional understanding of a person for a broader set of reasons," Path.to founder Darren Bounds says. "Ours is for a more specific purpose."