Twitter has begun to open source the software built by Whisper Systems, the enterprise mobile security startup it acquired just three weeks ago.

This move confirms the, well, whipsers that the Whisper Systems deal was mostly made for acqui-hire purposes. It should also assuage some worries that Whisper Systems’ technology, which was built largely to help protect activists’ mobile phone calls and messages from being intercepted by governments, would be ignored or snuffed out completely post-deal.

The open source roll-out began on Tuesday with the release of Whisper Systems’ TextSecure software, which provides support for encrypted texts on Android devices. Twitter says that eventually all of Whisper Systems code will be made available as open source software, but the process will occur gradually. A blog post announcing the plan reads in part:

“If you follow what’s going on at Twitter, you hopefully know we are heavy consumers and producers of open source technology (@TwitterOSS); we love the stuff! That said, we also believe that open source is not something to do on a whim.

Before we fully release Whisper Systems’ code to the public in the coming months, we need to make sure it meets legal requirements and is consumable by the open source community. The plan is to open source the code in an iterative fashion… We look forward to seeing what the community builds around the Whisper Systems open source contribution.”

Whisper Systems’ two person team, Moxie Marlinspike and Stuart Anderson, both joined Twitter’s full-time workforce as part of the acquisition and remain at the company today. No word on what exactly they’ll be working on going forward, but with more than 250 million Tweets going through Twitter’s system every day and much of the company’s growth coming from mobile users, there is surely no shortage of projects there that could use the full attention of such mobile software security experts.

Open sign photo courtesy of Flickr user loop_oh

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Dissecting the data: 5 issues for our digital future
• What Amazon’s new Kindle line means for Apple, Netflix and online media
• NewNet Q2: Google closes the quarter with a bang

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM

One thing that iTunes has over Spotify’s online music service is its wireless connectivity to the Apple TV. But it is actually possible to get the same kind of connectivity with Spotify, and use it from any room in your house, with the addition of a classic Mac app and a couple of third-party iOS apps.

Step 1: Get Spotify

There are two ways to get a Spotify account: either by invitation for a free account, or by paying for premium or unlimited accounts. Once you have an account set up, you’ll need to download and install the Spotify OS X client application. Then just start browsing for music and create playlists. Just a few more steps, and you’ll turn your house into one big Spotify jukebox.

Step 2: Extend AirPlay to any Mac music app with Airfoil

Next you’ll need Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil for Mac. Airfoil has been around since long before Apple introduced AirPlay and the second generation Apple TV. Any audio application on the Mac (including Spotify), or even the Mac’s system output can be made accessible to AirPlay devices with Airfoil.

1. Download and install Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil for Mac.
2. Choose Spotify in Airfoil as the application you want to play.
3. Choose the AirPlay and/or Airfoil device(s) you want to connect to.
4. Play music using Spotify.

Step 3: Extend your range with Airfoil speakers

One of the limitations of Apple’s AirPlay has been the fact that iOS devices themselves are not able to receive AirPlay streams, only send them. Luckily, Rogue Amoeba created an app called Airfoil Speakers Touch for iOS devices that allows Airfoil to play music on any and all iOS devices connected to your local network. This works great if you want to extend your playback to speakers that otherwise would not be connected. There’s also a version of Speakers for OS X (.zip file) that will allow you to extend your playback to all the Macs on your network. Keep in mind that you are limited to your local network, so this is not a workaround for taking your library on the go, which is only included in the premium and unlimited Spotify accounts.

Bonus: Remote control options to round it all off

Now that you’re playing music from Spotify around your house, how can you also control it remotely? There are two good third-party solutions to help with this: One will let you control Airfoil on your Mac, and the other will allow you to control Spotify.

• Reemote for Airfoil. Kai Aras’ Reemote lets turn on and off different combinations of Airfoil and AirPlay enabled devices on your network. You can even control their individual volumes, to some extent, and you can switch your audio source application on the host Mac. There is an iPhone as well as an iPad version of Reemote. To make this work, you’ll also need to download and install the Reemote Server application for Mac.
• Two Remotes for Spotify. To control what playlists you’re listening to from within Spotify on the Mac, there are two good solutions. Axel Moller’s Spot Remote and Anders O’s Remoteless. Both apps are universal, supporting both the iPhone and iPad. Both allow you to browse and start Spotify playlists, as well as search for tracks, artist and albums. Another thing they both share is the use of an open source library called SIMBL. The server software for Spot Remote as well as Remoteless requires that SIMBL be installed on the host Mac in order for either solution to work. SIMBL allows third-party developers to enhance the functionality of other applications from other developers. Unfortunately, while it seems to work for some, OS X Lion does not yet appear to be officially supported by either solution.

Since this does require a bit of setup, it isn’t quite as easy as just using iTunes and an Apple TV. But if you’re looking for an alternative that makes use of Spotify’s great new service, maybe this is the whole home music solution you’ve been waiting for.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
• Connected Consumer Q1: The Over-the-Top vs. Pay TV Battle Heats Up
• A 2011 Connected Consumer Forecast

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM — Tech News, Analysis and Trends

Solar rooftops only work in specific environments: an area with enough sun, a roof with the right tilt, a state or city with strong subsidies. But a company called Geostellar is using big data tools to help its solar installer customers deliver more solar panels to more rooftops in places where it actually makes economic sense. Later this year, the company plans to release an open API — so developers can build applications on top of it — and eventually, the company plans to launch a consumer-facing site.

Year-old Geostellar pulls together at least 25 different types of data into its platform, including information about weather, shadows, roof slope, closest transmission lines, property values, land use, electricity rates, solar subsidies, and solar hazards. In addition, the company is constantly adding in more data sets like information about brownfields — a sudden hot area for solar installers — and data from pertinent recent legislation explained Geostellar CEO David Levine in an interview with me this week.

All that data goes into a system solar installers and utilities can use to search for useful data to target solar customers. For example, a solar installer could search Geostellar’s system for the locations of rooftops of a certain size in New Jersey or California and hone a mailing list down to the best potential candidates. The system can also estimate the amount of solar power, in kilowatt-hours/per year, that any rooftop would be able to produce if it had panels on it.

The solar rooftop companies are all fighting over a few select markets right now — California, New Jersey and Massachusetts — noted Levine, and Geostellar’s platform can help increase their sales. The company sells access to the software via a monthly license and then also charges the users for the data, depending on how extensive it is. So far pilot customers include CleanPath Renewables, Community Energy and AES Solar in Northern Virginia.

Eventually Geostellar will offer a consumer facing site, so interested solar buyers can search their own home — or their neighbors — to see how solar-friendly it is. RoofRay is offering a similar idea. Levine said Geostellar wanted to launch the industry section first to grow its revenues, before it launched a consumer site, which would likely be free to access.

Geostellar, based in West Virginia, has raised million from a group of angel investors including Flash Forward Ventures, and the company plans to start raising a Series B round after it has closed a couple more customer deals.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Green IT Q1: Cleantech Breaking Out — and Bracing for Hard Times
• Infrastructure Q1: IaaS Comes Down to Earth; Big Data Takes Flight
• Finding the Value in Social Media Data

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM — Tech News, Analysis and Trends

Whether you already have a car or you’re just about to get one, it pays to get to know your car’s different parts. Don’t close your doors on the idea yet because you would actually be doing yourself a favor by getting to know you car parts better. You are probably overlooking the importance of knowing something about your car, but it is a useful piece of information. car parts are totally worth knowing and you will definitely find it useful when the right time comes. Just think how you’d be able to use what you know when your car needs a maintenance check or if some of its parts need to be replaced? When you know you car, part by part, you will have better idea of taking care of each and one of them, extending their lives and performance. When it is time for replacement, you would know which exactly is to be replaced, you would know what keyword to use online when you look for tips for choosing [crash repair parts

If a computer has what we call hardware and software, same goes with your car. In cars, the external parts would be the hardware part while the parts that concerning engine or the car’s system, they can be considered as the software. Any car owner should definitely make it a point to get to know the parts of his car. It is a basic knowledge. When you’re told to get to know your car, you don’t have to push yourself hard and get to know its inner parts, its engine and its systems to be specific. But if you are really interested, why not? Just make sure that when you do start studying your car, you are being assisted by someone who really have the knowledge about technical stuffs.

Needless to say, part have many parts. Just knowing the body and the exterior parts would be enough. As said, you don’t need to know basically everything not unless you are really into it. car panels, grilles and bumpers are just some of the car parts that you need to know. Car panels come in different types and have different purposes as well. For example, a car has a part called rocker panel which in between the two wheel wells. There’s also a quarter panel, it covers the part between the rear door and the trunk. Grilles are usually placed at the front of vehicles. They are the ones protecting the radiator and the engine. Air passes through them, neutralizing the temperature of a car inside. Car bumpers are placed in the car’s front-most and rear-most parts. They have been placed there so to minimize the impact of a collision so that the engine won’t be affected.

There are other important car parts but they have not been mentioned although they do matter just as well. External parts are the parts of the car we usually see and touch first before we can even get inside a car. And since we always see them, memorizing them won’t be hard at all. So make it a point to get to know your car and its parts and you can get the most out of it. Remember, your car is like your journey partner. So it just makes sense if you know how to take care of it and the important details about it. Knowing the parts of your cars is just the beginning.

The Samsung CLP 315 toner cartridge printer is capable of producing color and black-and-white documents. Using laser technology, it has a compact form factor and elegant black casing which can complement any space in your home or office. Operation is a breeze and it features only the essentials, making for a price tag that’s within your means. But despite this, it’s a performer that lets you meet productivity demands on time.

Inside it is a powerful processor that makes the machine capable of dishing out 4 color pages a minute and 17 black-and-white pages a minute with CLP 315 compatible toner. With the impressively fast first page out time, more tasks can be finished: 26 seconds for color and 13 seconds for black-and-white. However, both the printing and first page out speeds are also affected by certain factors including the complexity of the document or the configuration of the computer’s system.

Less than 45 DBA of noise is emitted by this black beauty thanks to Samsung’s NO NOISE print engine. This means your home or workplace can be kept free of distraction as you come up with your documents – no matter how busy the environment gets. NO NOISE print engine is also used on the company’s other best-selling high-end printers.

Supported media types include bond, regular paper, recycled, glossy, cards, transparencies, labels and envelopes. Compatible media sizes range from as little as 3.0″ x 6.3″ to as big as 8.5″ x 14.0″. This black beauty comes fitted with a 150-sheet input media tray which may be detached. But there are no expansion slots around, so neither the input nor the output media capacity of the machine can be increased.

Documents can have resolutions of as much as 2400 x 600 dots per inch. It’s very simple to replace the cartridges should they run out of toner, thanks to the innovative layout. Now, there’s no need to slow down whenever these consumables are being replaced. Speaking of toners, colors included are black, yellow, cyan and magenta – each one can yield 1500 pages.

There’s a hi-speed USB cable around that simplifies connection of this stunner to a computer. Installation shouldn’t give you a headache as it’s compatible with several different operating systems. Manual duplex and driver support is included so it’s possible to come up with two-sided printouts. Printer language emulation used is SPL-C.

Compared to rivals, this is definitely more compact as its body measures 15.3″ (width) x 12.3″ (height) x 9.6″ (depth). It only weighs 24.3 lb. With this size and weight, taking it from one place to another, depending where its service is needed, is trouble-free. You may place it right on your desk, and still have plenty of room for your other things. The stylish black design is also sure to grab everyone’s attention.

The Samsung CLP 315 printer toner cartridges printer is a personal type of laser printing machine. Although it comes with basic features and simple operation with CLP 315 compatible toner, its performance is definitely something not to overlook. It’s capable of churning out your color or monochrome documents quickly and with impressive quality with CLP 315 compatible toner. It’s also ENERGY STAR qualified, so you know you can meet your monthly budget.

Well, look what we’ve got here! Seeing that HTC just introduced the Incredible S — a world phone only available in the UK — it was only a matter of time before the phone hit the stateside. A trusted tipster just hit us with screen shots of Verizon’s internals containing a device dubbed HTC ADR6350. The other screenshot below has a listing for the HTC63503 with a description of “INCRD2.” Putting two and two together, we’d say with great confidence that the Incredible 2 is coming to Verizon in the near future — and we certainly wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with that “buttonless” shot we saw a while back. Stay tuned as we try and dig up more details… and in the meantime, peep the second screenshot after the break!

Continue reading HTC Droid Incredible 2 shows up in Verizon’s system

HTC Droid Incredible 2 shows up in Verizon’s system originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Feb 2011 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Engadget