If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought hints of a revitalized Galaxy Exhibit for T-Mobile, news of two additions to the lineup at Cricket and a peek at the next GoPhone for AT&T. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of May 20th, 2013. Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile Comments More...

Remember that Connectify Switchboard Insert Coin we featured just over a week ago? Well, we'd like to say we're sorry to hear it's been canceled -- but we're not. Why? Because a high amount of interest from people preferring to use their own computers as servers, has resulted in a change of plan. The result is that the product is available right away, and will no longer use cloud servers. This change means the need for investment has gone, evaporating the need for Kickstarter, too. This also means you can use the service as a private VPN, and always appear as if you're surfing from your home PC -- along with that speed-boosting channel bonding tech, of course. To sweeten the deal even further, if you purchase access to the beta program now ($90), then you'll get lifetime updates and support. After the beta, the price rises to $100. Better fire up that those internet connections, stat. Filed under: Desktops, Networking Comments Source: Connectify More...

Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days. We think it's fair to say that, we all aspire to a future where robots do the hard work, lost limbs self-regenerate, and kids love science. That's not too much to ask now is it? This is alt-week. Filed under: Science, Alt Comments Via: io9 More...

With $671,400, you could buy roughly 2,040.7 base-model iPad minis before taxes. One unnamed buyer, however, just laid that amount out for a single Apple 1 from 1976. Auctioned through a Germany-based Sotheby's, The New York Times Bits blog notes the price beats out the firm's $640K record from another unit last November. Interestingly, the seller refurbished this latest Apple 1 to working condition, after paying only $40K for it privately. While it doesn't seem to have the original enclosure, we'd be remiss not to mention that the seller also had Steve Wozniak grace the motherboard with his signature. You'll find more info at the source, while we wrap our heads around how this makes last summer's auction price of $374.5K look like a relative steal. Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Apple Comments Via: MacRumors Source: NYT Bits More...

We joke that most people don't like QR codes, but those codes link to a lot of information through one snapshot -- and Mercedes-Benz may just use that efficiency to save lives. The automaker is putting the symbols on vehicles so that emergency crews just need a phone camera scan for easy access to rescue sheets, which are schematics that show where to cut into a wrecked car when recovering trapped passengers. With such immediate knowledge, rescuers don't have to wait for a model confirmation or else risk cutting wires and fuel lines. While we'll initially see the QR codes only in Mercedes-Benz cars made this year and beyond (placed inside the fuel door and on the opposite side B-pillar), the company isn't being selfish: it's refusing to patent its method in the hope that every vehicle manufacturer will quickly embrace the technology. Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation Comments Via: Autoblog Source: Mercedes-Benz More...

Those who already own Google Glass are more likely than most to embrace new technologies like Nest's thermostat, so it only makes sense that an especially eager adopter would find a way to combine the two. That would be James Rundquist and his new Glass Nest app: Glass owners now just have to announce that they're coming home (or heading out) to make their Nest units change the climate. More exacting homeowners can fine-tune the temperature, too. While the utility is both unofficial and quite limited at this stage, Rundquist has posted source code that lets anyone expand on the project. If you're in the rare position of owning both gadgets, we'd suggest giving Glass Nest and its code at least a cursory look. Filed under: Household, Wearables, Google Comments Via: Slashgear, SelfScreens Source: Glass Nest, GitHub More...

It seems like every day we're getting a little bit closer to having tricorders, and today's no exception. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have designed hardware and software that turns the iPhone into a powerful biosensor that's useful for toxin and pathogen testing as well as medical diagnosis. The package consists of a cradle that contains an assortment of lenses and filters which line up with the handset's camera, along with an app that guides the user through the testing process. At the core of the device is a photonic crystal slide which basically turns the iPhone into a high-resolution spectrometer. While the cradle only contains about $200 worth of parts, it's just as accurate as laboratory equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars, with the added bonus of being hand-held. The team just received an NSF grant to explore other applications for the device and is working on a cradle for Android phones. Hit the break for a demo video and a peek into the future. Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Alt, Apple Comments Source: University of Illinois More...

Hipstamatic's subscription-based photo filter app is now publicly available on iTunes, a few weeks after its invite-only launch. Oggl is a free download, and you get five of its parent app's virtual lenses and films that you can mix and match to concoct your own filters from the get-go -- it also lets you edit a photo's effects after you've taken it. But if you find its small selection of lenses and films limiting and you'd prefer to have the whole enchilada (read: all Hipstamatic filters), you've got to part with $2.99 per quarter or $9.99 per year. No word yet on whether an Android version is in the works, but a preview of the app shown at the Nokia Lumia 925 launch event indicates that it's on its way to Windows Phone 8. Filed under: Misc, Software, Mobile Comments Source: iTunes More...

Unnamed sources speaking with Polygon say the Xbox One has a remote play feature between consoles, both hardwired and online, allowing friends to take over gameplay remotely. The demonstration the sources claim to have witnessed featured one Xbox One connecting to another using "a local hardwired connection between consoles," with a Skype call bridging the two users. A similar feature is available on Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 4, both between consoles and via PlayStation Vita. The other piece of the report adds to a bit we already knew concerning the new Kinect. "At some point, we'll be able to have conversational understanding," Microsoft hardware lead Todd Holmdahl told us last week. That "some point" may be sooner than later, as Microsoft reps were apparently already demonstrating the functionality, and said it'll be available either at launch or "post-launch within the first few months." Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Microsoft Comments Source: Polygon More...

Yearning to watch Norsemen amass loot while raiding foreign lands? If you're in the UK, you can now watch US cable show The Vikings exclusively via Lovefilm Instant. The Amazon-owned service has made all nine episodes of the historical drama -- shown in the US and in Canada on History Channel -- available for streaming. The service's subscribers in Germany won't be left out, but as the show isn't slated to go live for them until June 15th, they have a bit of waiting to do. This new addition to Lovefilm's roster is a clear effort by the service to bolster its TV show offerings, seeing as it's struggling to catch up to Netflix UK in that area. Lovefilm also inked a deal with Warner Bros in April to air popular TV titles One Tree Hill, The West Wing and Nip Tuck, although Netflix will have its own exclusive when Arrested Development season four launches tomorrow. Filed under: Misc Comments Source: Lovefilm More...