By Paul Thomson :: 10:29 AM
Nope – CS2 isn’t free. At least not legally. That’s Adobe’s line this morning, after yesterday’s shutdown of the CS2 activation servers led to a free-for-all download frenzy of the nearly 8-year-old software package.
Word quickly spread, on our site and across the tech news world, yesterday morning about the seemingly uncharacteristic generosity of Adobe in making Creative Suite 2 available for free.
An Adobe representative, Dov Isaacs, logged on to Adobe’s support forum later in the day and clarified that the downloads and serial numbers they posted were intended only for users who have already acquired CS2 legally, but can no longer activate it.
At this point, the barn door has been open for way too long, and nothing Adobe tries to do will really close it. License keys have been cropping up across the web, and users have flocked to Adobe’s site to download the software.
Legally, however, you do need a license key to use it. And from a hardware standpoint, the old version will have difficulty running on most of today’s modern systems.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 1:23 AM
While Android cameras aren’t new to the digital photography world – Samsung has the Galaxy Camera
Polaroid’s new iM1836 camera runs Android’s  4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system, the same OS version in Samsung’s Galaxy Camera
Samsung’s Galaxy camera does have one advantage over Polaroid – the option for a data plan. With the iM1836, users will have to rely on Wi-Fi connectivity to access the Internet, or tether it to your smartphone via a Bluetooth connection.
Featuring a 3.5-inch LCD touch screen on the back and pop-up flash, other appointments include an automatic blink detection features, automatic face exposure, and panorama mode settings. Another shortcoming here is the LCD size – the Galaxy’s is nearly 5 inches.
The picture quality goes up to 18 megapixels, and video capabilities up to 1080p. An HDMI output jack is also included so you can hook right up to a television.
The new Polaroid will hit store shelves sometime later this quarter, and will retail for $399.
Current Polaroid digital camera offerings include the Z2300 10MP digital instant print camera
By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:39 PM
It’s crazy here – something about Las Vegas that makes people do odd things. Like Steve Ballmer hopping up on stage at the Qualcomm keynote earlier this evening.
Right as Qualcomm’s CEO, Paul Jacobs started talking about how mobile technology and smartphones are penetrating deep into our lives, Microsoft’s Ballmer hopped up and launched into a demo of Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT.
“You guys have been great partners on the phone, and I really appreciate it,” Ballmer said as he addressed Jacobs and the crowd gathered for the keynote.
So maybe “crashes” wasn’t entirely appropriate – but Ballmer’s appearance did seem a little out of place at first. As the routine continued, it was easier to see Ballmer’s support for what Qualcomm is doing in the mobile space.
As far as the mobile tech maker’s news goes, today was a big day as they announced their new family of chips, consisting of the Snapdragon 800, 600, 400 and 200 series processors.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 5:39 PM
Several rumors are circulating today, both at CES and online, that the next flagship handset from Samsung, the Galaxy S4, may come with a built-in wireless charging system.
The smartphone manufacturer filed for a wireless charging patent in July of 2012, and details of that filing were outlined last month. The patent paperwork outlines a technology that combines wireless power with a modulated carrier signal – this lets the handset communicate with a charging mat or stand. This type of system, one that combines wireless power and powerline networking technology, could provide new capabilities for all kinds of devices, eliminating the need, for example, to pair Bluetooth devices together.
In the industry, the Nexus 4
Although Samsung doesn’t mention any specific phone model or device in its patent filing, given the timing of the patent and other rumors, the Galaxy S4 is at the right place in Samsung’s pipeline to debut with the technology.
All signs still point to the S4 announcing at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February. In another nod to confirm this rumor, a listing for a model number assumed to be the S4 appeared today at the Samsung Global Download Center. The device is noted as the GT-9500X. GT-9500 has been said to be the model number that Samsung will use for the Galaxy S4, if the company keeps to similar pre-launch tactics it has used in the past. For example, The Galaxy S that arrived in 2010 carried the model number, GT-i9000. The Galaxy S2, which also emerged at Mobile World Congress back in 2011, had the model number GT-i9100, and last year’s debut of the Samsung Galaxy S3
By Cynthia Herbert :: 1:48 PM
Lenovo today announced the debut of its new table-sized touch screen PC, the IdeaCentre Horizon, a machine with a 27-inch screen that functions both as a standard desktop computer as well as an oversized tablet.
Shown first at CES in Las Vegas today, Lenovo’s Horizon has a multi-touch screen that allows multiple users to input commands at the same time. The device can be laid flat on any surface, like a tablet, or a hinge can be pulled out from the back of the device so that it can be propped up for use with a traditional keyboard and mouse.
The IdeaCentre will run the Windows 8 operating system, and features up to 1 terabyte of storage and an Intel Core processor. If the 27-inch tablet isn’t large enough for you, there’s a 39-inch wide-screen version being touted as well.
“Horizon makes personal computing interpersonal computing with shared, collaborative experiences among several people,” Lenovo’s Product Group said in a pre-released statement.
In addition, Lenovo says that the PC will be backed up with an app store with more than 5,000 titles, many of which will are multi-touch games tailored specifically to tablets like Horizon,
The mega-tablet will launch this summer, and pricing will start at $1,699, or about 3-and-a-half iPads.