Refresh Roundup: week of April 23rd, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 23rd, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 23rd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fun. Ready To Burn Bright At MTV Movie Awards

'It's an opportunity to have a performance that will be talked about forever,' band says of taking the Movie Awards stage on June 3.
By James Montgomery

Nate Ruess of fun.
Photo: Getty Images

Given that Fun. are the first musical act announced for the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, you'd think they'd be privy to all sorts of insider info on the big show, like potential hosts, nominees, etc. But, you'd be wrong. Turns out, they're just as much in the dark as the rest of us.

"We haven't heard anything. Who's going to be there?" frontman Andrew Ruess laughed. "Jackie Chan? Jon Bon Jovi? They better be there, for sure."

Sadly, we can't vouch for either gentleman's availability on June 3, when the Movie Awards air live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. But we can tell you that the guys in Fun. are planning on making the most of their time on stage, by going big with their performance of chart-topping smash "We Are Young."

"It's one of the most flattering things that's happened to us on this rollercoaster ride of this song and this album, because I just remember watching all those award shows — like the Video Music Awards and Movie Awards — and you always wonder like how they're doing it, what their big reveal is going to be, all those other type of things," Ruess said. "We've had meetings about how our set's going to be and what it's going to look like, and it's so exciting. It's so exciting how much effort MTV puts into this show, like, we have to show up and play the song, but they build this whole entire world around us, and it's so amazing."

"It's also an opportunity to have a performance that will be talked about forever," guitarist Jack Antonoff added. "Like, I still talk about [the 2000 VMAs], when Eminem had the thousand people dressed like him, or when Smashing Pumpkins did 'Tonight, Tonight' [at the '96 VMAs] ... these are moments that, for us, growing up, last forever, and if we could pull off something like that, it would be amazing."

And as if being tapped to perform at the 2012 Movie Awards wasn't already a big enough deal for the band, there's also the fact that they've got previous MTV awards-show experience ... though, to be fair, this will be the first time they've actually been invited to attend.

"I went to the Video Music Awards when I was 14. My friend from camp had a friend who had a dad who was involved, and we sat near Rebecca Lobo and the Spice Girls," Antonoff said. "It was the year that Fiona Apple gave the big speech, which, in hindsight, was pretty inspiring. My mind was blown, and I thought 'This is just filled with famous people, and somehow I'm in the middle of it.' So, to be able to go back to an MTV awards show — not through a friend of a friend who has a dad who works at Viacom — but to actually be invited, is an honor."

The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live Sunday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.

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Sunday Links (Theagitator)

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LG gives away 2,000 specially modified phones for the blind

Skipping on the LTE, HD IPS screen or dual-processor is usually not a recipe that will land your phone on the pages of Engadget. But, these LG-LU2700Ss are not just any unspectacular flip phone. The handset has been specially modified for use by the blind and visually impaired. The manual is printed in braille and, rather than require the constant mashing of buttons, the phone is controlled primarily through voice commands. 2,000 of the devices were given away as part of the company's donation program. Now if only they would mass produce them, LG would earn some serious cred.

LG gives away 2,000 specially modified phones for the blind originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cyberpunks Rejoice: Kickstarter Project Aims To Resurrect Shadowrun

If you spent any time in high school thinking about ley lines and bio-implants, you were probably a Shadowrun player. The game, which petered out after a disastrous run as a PC/Xbox game in 2007, brought the high-tech of William Gibson to the magical realms of Mr. Gygax. It was, in short, pretty cool. A Kickstarter project aims to bring back all that fun in video game form, adding lots of what you missed about Shadowrun back to the PC. This new version will be a RPG involving the Shadowrun world complete with various character types - elves, samurai, humans - and, although this is discouraged, deals with dragons. $15 gets you a copy of the game while $60 gets you a t-shirt and some in-game perks.

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The Stars of Bravo's New Show Are Bringing Glamour to the Big Apple

Bravo's 2012 line-up just got all the more fashionable, as the network prepares to unveil a new docu-series tentatively called Decades. The show will follow renowned boutique owners Christos Garkinos and Cameron Silver as they take viewers inside the exclusive and glamorous world of vintage couture filled with Givenchy, Balenciaga and Chanel.

While their boutique, also named "Decades," is situated in Hollywood, Christos and Cameron will be headed back to New York on April 26-28 for a Prada/Schiaparelli-inspired trunk show in honor of the upcoming Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and to celebrate the launch of the Decades for Rent the Runway collection. The boutique owners took time out of their busy schedules to speak to In Touch about the upcoming show and series.

?Our store mantra has always been to encourage people to 'dress up!'" Cameron said. "At our upcoming New York event with Rent the Runway, we will have the perfect clothing and accessories to get people into the social-scene spirit ? whether you?re shopping for the Met gala or looking for a prom dress, we?ve got it all. We love New York! We can?t wait to bring the best of Decades to the Big Apple."

As for what will make the Decades show different than other fashion-inspired series, Cameron tells viewers to get their pencils ready. "It?s not only totally entertaining, but also truly informative. So for any fashion fan, it will be like Fashion 101 ? but unlike school, you?ll be giggling your way through it!?

For more information about Decades' New York trunk show featuring Rent the Runway, click here.

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Sprint Direct Connect brandishes passport, brings push-to-talk to distant shores

Although Sprint is winding down iDEN services here in the US, it hasn't turned its back on the technology completely. The nation's third largest wireless carrier has announced a new push-to-talk service offering, dubbed International Direct Connect. The $10 monthly add-on will allow Direct Connect push-to-talk users in the US -- utilizing its CDMA network -- to communicate with iDEN PTT users in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru free of charge. Although not explicitly stated, the aforementioned nations are referred to as "initial" markets, implying that more countries will be added to this list at some point in the future. All the details about the business-focused proposition, along with the press sheet, can be found after the break.

Continue reading Sprint Direct Connect brandishes passport, brings push-to-talk to distant shores

Sprint Direct Connect brandishes passport, brings push-to-talk to distant shores originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to host fundraisers with Walker next week (Star Tribune)

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Weekend Movies: 'Five-Year Engagement' or 'Pirates'?

From the raunchy but sweet rom-com The Five-Year Engagement to the Edgar Allan Poe thriller The Raven, get the scoop on what's playing in theaters.

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Ubuntu 12.10 gets christened Quantal Quetzal ahead of Pangolin launch

While you impatiently await the release of Precise Pangolin this Thursday, we've got some news to hold your little aubergine-loving heart over. Canonical's own Mark Shuttleworth took to the web to announce Ubuntu 12.10, codenamed Quantal Quetzal. If you were hoping the Linux distro would take the tongue-twisting titles down a notch with the next release, well, you're out of luck. We don't have too many details to share release, but Shuttleworth does say that Unity will continue to be tweaked and improved. A visual overhaul is expected to get underway starting with Quetzal, to work out all the bugs in time for the next LTS release, 14.04. Now all you have to do is wait till October 18th for its proper release. (For the more impatient and daring, the first alpha is scheduled to land on June 7th and the first beta on September 6th.) Thankfully, there should be enough new stuff to play with in 12.04 to distract you for at least a little while.

[Image via Fabio Bretto]

Ubuntu 12.10 gets christened Quantal Quetzal ahead of Pangolin launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Romney Squash GOP Anti-Gay Bigotry? (Atlantic Politics Channel)

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HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color MFP M475dn

The HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color MFP M475dn ($699 direct) has an awkward name, and nobody is going to give it any awards for speed. But it has a good feature set and above-average output; it?s especially strong in graphics. This makes it a very respectable choice as a color laser multifunction printer (MFP) for a smaller office.

The M475dn prints, copies, faxes, and scans; it can fax either from its 3.5-inch color touch screen or from a computer (PC Fax). You can scan to a USB thumb drive, email, or a network folder. It has a 50-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) for faxing, scanning, or copying multi-page documents without you having to feed each page by hand. It can scan at up to legal size using the ADF.

This MFP measures 19.7 by 16.5 by 19.0 inches (HWD) and weighs 65 pounds, too big to share a desk with, and moving it into place is a 2-person job. The M475dn has a 300-sheet standard paper capacity, split between a 250-sheet input tray and 50-sheet multipurpose tray; a second 250-sheet tray is available as an option ($137 direct). It has an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper, which can save you a lot of paper.

The M475dn is capable of running HP?s Web apps and comes with a generous selection of them pre-installed. Their printable content ranges from forms to news feeds, coloring book pages, Sudoku puzzles, and more. The M475dn is also ePrint enabled; HP assigns an e-mail address to the printer (which you can later customize), you can send documents to that address, and the printer will automatically print them out (as long as it?s connected to the Internet).

The M475dn offers USB and Ethernet connectivity. (An otherwise identical WiFi-enabled version of the printer, the M475dw, is available for $749 direct.) I tested it over the Ethernet connection with a PC running Windows Vista.

Print Speed

I timed the M475dn on the latest version of our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), at a rather sluggish 3.2 effective pages per minute (ppm), even considering its relatively low rated print speed of 21 ppm?which should be about the speed you would get if you were to print text only. The Editors? Choice Dell 2155cn ($549.99 direct) finished the same tests at a much faster 5.9 ppm clip, while the OKI MC561 ($750 street) was even faster, at 7.2 ppm.

Print Quality

Overall output quality for the M475dn was slightly above average, thanks to very good graphics quality. Text was slightly below average for a laser, which still translates to very good?fine for any business use except those requiring very small fonts, like some desktop publishing applications, or documents like resumes that need to make a good visual impression.

Graphics were of good enough quality that I wouldn?t hesitate to hand them to clients I was seeking to impress, or?for that matter?use for marketing materials. The only issues I encountered were minor, some blotchiness in a couple of color backgrounds due to uneven toner distribution and some mild posterization.

Photo quality was a little on the high side of average. Photos generally showed very good color, although a couple of them had modest tints. Several showed dithering, and there was a loss of detail in several bright areas.

The Editors? Choice Dell 2155cn is considerably faster than the M475dn, and has slightly better overall output quality and a lower price tag. It lacks an auto-duplexer, and although they both have 250-sheet main trays, the Dell 2155cn?s multipurpose feeder is limited to a single sheet. The OKI MC561has blazing speed and even has a duplexing ADF, letting you copy, fax, and scan 2-sided documents. Its output quality isn?t up to either the HP or the Dell 2155cn, however. The OKI MC561has slightly lower color costs that the other two.

Unless print speed is a strong consideration, the HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color MFP M475dn is a good choice as a color laser MFP to anchor a small office. It has a very solid feature set, including HP Web apps and ePrint capabilities, and good output quality highlighted by beautiful graphics.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews:

??? HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color MFP M475dn
??? HP Officejet 6700 Premium e-All-in-One
??? Canon Pixma MX892 Wireless Inkjet Office All-in-One
??? Ricoh Aficio SP C242SF
??? Ricoh Aficio SP C240SF
?? more

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Microsoft Israel?s Best & Brightest on Parade at ThinkNext Tel-Aviv

Slowly but surely, Microsoft Israel is making itself more and more relevant for the local startup community. In fact, we recently covered its latest major push, the Windows Azure Accelerator. Then there's the annual ThinkNext conference which has become one of the local tech community's staple events. The more interesting portion of the event (in my opinion at least) is the demo area, where startups chosen by the the local Microsofties showcase their goods. So unless you happen to be at the event in the port of Tel-Aviv this afternoon, here's what you're missing out:

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Preparing Effective Special Education Teachers - Center for ...

Want a book with the tools teachers need to be excellent special educators? Try Preparing Effective Special Education Teachers. This book is based on current research and policy. It will help teachers build the skills that are critical to instructing and assessing students with a wide variety of learning and other disabilities. Collaborations with parents and other professionals as well as understanding how to get the most out of field placements is also discussed.

Want to know more? Check it out by emailing us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

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Will.i.am Hooking Up With Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell?

Will.i.am Hooking Up With Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell?

Will.i.am and Geri Halliwell are rumored to be dating after being spotted sneaking a romantic dinner date. Will.i.am, 37, the singer for the Black Eyed [...]

Will.i.am Hooking Up With Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell? Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

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Chamber Spotlight: Resume Bloopers and Blunders ? Pulaski ...

Since this is the time when employers are deluged with job applications from high school and college graduates, cover letters and resumes are on many minds.? Last week, we looked at some humorous bloopers and blunders from actual cover letters submitted to employers.? Not only was this designed to give a few laughs but, hopefully, to give a few pointers to those who are currently engaged in the process of looking for employment.

??????????????? Let?s say that your cover letter has passed the scrutiny of your prospective employer.

Next comes the resume.? This week, again in an effort to both amuse and educate, let?s look at some resume bloopers and blunders.? The typos and misspellings are intentional, as they are from actual

resumes submitted to potential employers.

??????????????? *I?m a rabid typist.

??????????????? *Develop and recommend an annual operation expense fudget.

??????????????? *Education:? College, August 1880 ? May 1984.

??????????????? *I was proud to win the Gregg Typting Award.

??????????????? *Here are my qualifications to overlook.

* I?m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer.

*I am about to enroll on a Business and Finance Degree with the Open University.? I feel that

this qualification will prove detrimental to me for future success.

*I belive that weakness is the first level of strength, given the right attitude and driving force.

?My school advised me to fix my punctuality.

*Then there was the resume that the candidate wrote as a play ? Act 1, Act 2, etc.

*Skills:? Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to

Detail.

*One applicant used colored paper and drew glitter designs around the border.

*Why Interested in Position:? to keep my parole officer from putting me back in jail.

*Misspelled the word ?proofreading? in her skill set.

??????????????? *Objective:? Career on the Information Supper Highway.

??????????????? *Experience:? Stalking, shipping & receiving.

??????????????? *My duties included cleaning the restrooms and seating the customers.

??????????????? *Achievements:? Nominated for prom queen.

??????????????? *A resume was printed on the back of the person?s current employer?s letterhead.

??????????????? *Won a contest for building toothpick bridges in middle school.

??????????????? *One resume arrived with several grease stains and a smudge of chocolate on it.

??????????????? *Consistently tanked as top sales producer for new accounts.

??????????????? *Planned a new corporate facility at $3 million over budget.

??????????????? *Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.

??????????????? *Skills:? I can type without looking at thekeyboard.

??????????????? *Objective:? I want to play a major part in watching a company advance.

??????????????? *Objective:? So one of the main things for me is, as the movie ?Jerry McGuire? puts it,

????? ????????? ?Show me the money!?

??????????????? *Skills:? I have integrity so I will not steal office supplies and take them home.

??????????????? *Skills:? I have technical skills that will take your breath away.

??????????????? *Objective:? I would like to work for a company that is very lax when it comes to tardiness.

??????????????? *Education:? Have repeated courses repeatedly.

??????????????? *Salary requirements:? The higher the better.

??????????????? *Bad traits:? I am very bad about time and don?t mind admitting it.? Having to arrive at a

??????????????? certain hour doesn?t make sense to me.? What does make sense is that I do the job.? Any

??????????????? company that insists upon rigid time schedules will find me a nightmare.

??????????????? *References:? Bill, Tom, Eric.? But I don?t know their phone number.

??????????????? *Education:? I have a bachelorette degree in computers.

??????????????? *Skills:? Being bi-lingual in three languages.

??????????????? *Reason for leaving last job:? They didn?t allow me to surf the web as often as I?d like to.? They ??????????????

??????????????? weren?t very nice about it either.

???????????????????????????????

??????????????? If it happened to be YOUR business looking for employees, what would you think about these resumes?? It is probably safe to say that you would pass on these resumes and look further.? We hope you are enjoying a laugh or two along the way, and learning something as well.

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Precisely Why, Experts Say, You Might Want To Observe Deluge ...

Japan celebrated last March the anniversary of what's deemed as among the list of deadliest tsunamis to happen to be noted throughout history. Over eighteen thousand existence were taken in the horrible event. While in the Philippines, on the other hand, it really has been couple of years since Typhoon Ketsana, locally called Ondoy, leaves the country with well over 700 deaths. Everyone was caught off guard by the power of these disasters that a great many didn't make it through.

Looking at these two countries, Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, and Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient Sea, you can expect to verify how ruthless floods could be. Flood is aware of no nobody, and would inflict disorder within a period, that actually industry experts, are unable to tell certainly. These natural calamities, at one point, also confirm how critical flood control actions are.

A major international panel of scientists explained that countries, worldwide, should prepare for the arrival of comparable extreme storms, and even heat waves which are all the result of global warming.

Furthermore they stressed out the onslaught of deadly and dear weather mishaps. This forewarning provided by well-informed people on the field is sufficient, to motivate everyone to know the method their state is organizing, in the event similar destructive situations happen.

Flood control programs must be prioritized particularly in developing, and highly-populated areas. These are regions when the greatest peril was followed. Nevertheless, no nation can possibly get away from nature if it hits. It still pays that individuals and involved agencies work together to safeguard people from harmful floods.

Based on the record unveiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming and tougher tropical cyclones might be associated with man routines.

Poverty is pointed as another cause of the regularity of deluges.

Life could at least be kept if flood control methods are taken by significantly, and people on the flip side, can assertain about the significances of their actions in nature.

Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field, who's also on the list of top publishers of the above mentioned statement, shares that many of us, people, quite often, experience intense climate conditions. This justifies the employment of insurance bills, and this presents the details where humans are easy to collapse.

Field further brought up that disaster danger is practically everywhere, and not only just in poor places. He, together with peers specified Miami, Bangkok, and Shanghai as concerning cities in danger, including Mumbai.

But then again, no matter if your town isn't stated, it is merely fitting to plot flood control measures. All things considered, we live on exactly the same planet, and no place is way too safe.

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Battery maker considering HTC One extended batteries

So you've got your shiny new HTC One X or One S, but maybe you're a little underwhelmed by its battery life. Given the phones' lack of removable batteries, you might think you're out of luck.

But aftermarket battery manufacturer Mugen Power thinks it has the answer -- user-serviceable battery replacement kits, which include instructions and tools for HTC One series owners to crack open their phones and perform a battery transplant.

A poll posting on the company's official Facebook page states --

We are looking into making extended batteries for HTC One Series phones that come with internal batteries. An intrusion manual will be provided to the user on how to open the phone and replace the internal battery with our battery with extended capacity.

As you may have seen, taking apart the One X in isn't for the feint of heart -- you'll need a generous supply of spudgers, some elbow grease and plenty of care if you want to take apart the phone and put it back together in working order. And of course doing so, even successfully, will void your warranty with HTC.

To us, this particular avenue sounds like a really bad idea, but all credit to Mugen for thinking outside the box here. Currently the self-service option leads in the company's Facebook poll, with the option to take the phone to a service center proving to be less popular.

HTC One owners, would you take your phone's life into your own hands and risk installing an aftermarket battery yourself? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Facebook; via: Android Central forums

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