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Lenovo recalls Thinkpad battery packs in US, Canada and China, which pose a fire hazard

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 3:19 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, batteries, Canada, Gadgets, Product Updates

Lenovo has started a recall of its ThinkPad notebook computer battery packs as they pose a fire hazard caused by overheating, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today (via Computerworld). About 34,500 battery packs in the US and 2,900 in Canada sold with these Thinkpad computers will be recalled: the Edge 11, 13 and 14 series, the T410, T420, T510 and W510 series, and the X100e, X120e, X200, X201 and X201s series. No injuries have been reported, but Lenovo has received two reports of the battery packs overheating, resulting in damages to the computer and battery pack. A Xinhua report says that Lenovo is also…

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Bitcoin gets a boost as payments firm Stripe announces support for the cryptocurrency

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 2:53 am
Posted In: Around the Web, bitcoin, Insider

There’s good news for the Bitcoin community and retailers with an interest in the virtual currency, after payments firm Stripe announced that it would add support for Bitcoin payments. Stripe — which is one of the largest companies of its kind, having raised over $120 million in funding — has launched a private beta which includes support for the cryptocurrency, alongside the 135 global currencies that are already covered. Stripe co-founder and CEO Patrick Collison told Recode that the company has a “positive disposition to Bitcoin” because it is solving “the problems we care about” — namely enabling anyone to pay…

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Bitcoin gets a boost as payments firm Stripe announces support for the cryptocurrency

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 2:53 am
Posted In: Around the Web, bitcoin, Insider

There’s good news for the Bitcoin community and retailers with an interest in the virtual currency, after payments firm Stripe announced that it would add support for Bitcoin payments. Stripe — which is one of the largest companies of its kind, having raised over $120 million in funding — has launched a private beta which includes support for the cryptocurrency, alongside the 135 global currencies that are already covered. Stripe co-founder and CEO Patrick Collison told Recode that the company has a “positive disposition to Bitcoin” because it is solving “the problems we care about” — namely enabling anyone to pay…

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DataWind’s $38 and $80 Ubislate tablets are a great deal, but they’re probably not for you

Mar27
by on March 27, 2014 at 10:11 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Product Reviews

ubislate-3
You can approach budget tablets and smartphones from two different ways. When compared against the history of computing, these devices offer remarkable functionality at unprecedented pricing, opening up Internet access to new groups of previously unconnected people. However, when matched up against existing “premium” offerings, budget devices can feel clunky, under-powered and even hostile to the user. DataWind’s $38 Ubislate 7Ci tablet and its $80 7C+ cellular-connected counterpart are tricky devices to review. While I can try to imagine its target users and emulate their actions on the device, the fact remains that these tablets are designed for a new…

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Facebook’s Connectivity Lab is building drones, satellites and lasers to deliver Internet access

Mar27
by on March 27, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Posted In: Around the Web

facebook-screen1-645x250
While Google is experimenting with helium balloons for Internet access, Facebook is working on drones, satellites and lasers. The company today unveiled the Connectivity Lab, which has evolved as part of its Internet.org initiative. In a short video, the company explained the costs and shortcomings of the current system used for Internet distribution. Facebook’s Yael Maguire then explained some of its plans for satellites in low density environments, which included a combination of low earth orbital satellite systems and geosynchronous satellite systems. Multiple satellites would need to be in orbit to provide adequate coverage, so Facebook is also hoping to…

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