Category Archives: Tutorials

Virgin Galactic has released video of SpaceShipTwo gliding to Earth using a special method of slowing down the plane from any reentry angle. The test flight took place on May 4, according to Virgin Galactic , but the video was just released on Wednesday, May 18. Even though this was the seventh glide flight of the spaceship, this was the first time the tail of the plane was raised in its feather position that will slow it down as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere. The larger WhiteKnightTwo mother ship lifted SpaceShipTwo to 51,500 feet, releasing the tiny spaceship in which two pilots might someday fly six paying passengers to the edge of space for $200,000 apiece. When it’s time to actually fly the suborbital flight, SpaceShipTwo will be released from its mother ship and then fire its engine for 70 seconds, accelerating the plane to 2,600 mph and reaching a height of 68 miles before it begins its feathered descent. The feathering maneuver rotates the wing tips upward, slowing down the craft and allowing it to reenter the atmosphere from any angle without requiring the absolutely precise reentry angles of the Space Shuttle, which returns to Earth at orbital speeds of 16,000 mph. Image Courtesy Virgin Galactic More About: commercialized , space , SpaceShipTwo , video , Virgin Galactic , WhiteKnightTwo For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Seagate makes all sorts of storage solutions for outside and inside your computer and other device .The latest new storage device is the GoFlex Satellite and the device has an app that allows the iPhone and iPad to storage data and stream video from the HDD. A retailer is claiming that the iPhone 5 is due to land November 21. The retailer making the claim is Phones4u; naturally there is no official comment from Apple. A new update for the iPhone game Angry Birds Rio is available. The update brings block-destroying action to the beach and looks like fun. Continue reading

Sony has announced that it has just restored some PlayStation Network services after hackers forced Sony to take it down . The announcement was made by Sony Corporation Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai. “The services are being restored in phases, and I am pleased to say that the first phase has been launched in most regions around the world,” Hirai said in a video statement. Sony rebuilt the entire PlayStation Network following a breach of its security that resulted in the compromise of 24.6 million user accounts . The changes are being delivered in a new system update that is restoring online gaming and Qriocity services. “We have greatly updated our data security systems,” Hirai noted in the video statement. “These changes were the result of an intensive investigation aided by some of the most respected forensic and security experts in the computer industry.” Those changes include more advanced security technology, advanced levels of encryption, additional firewalls and better early-warning systems, he said. In addition to enhancing security, Sony is also giving PlayStation Network and Qriocity customers a free month of service. And while these measures are a good start, Sony has a lot of work to do to regain user trust . “Please know that we’re doing everything we can to fully restore network service around the world and to regain your trust in the days, weeks and months to come,” Hirai stated. More About: acking , gaming , playstation , playstation 3 , playstation network , securityh , sony For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Sony has announced that it has just restored some PlayStation Network services after hackers forced Sony to take it down . The announcement was made by Sony Corporation Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai. “The services are being restored in phases, and I am pleased to say that the first phase has been launched in most regions around the world,” Hirai said in a video statement. Sony rebuilt the entire PlayStation Network following a breach of its security that resulted in the compromise of 24.6 million user accounts . The changes are being delivered in a new system update that is restoring online gaming and Qriocity services. “We have greatly updated our data security systems,” Hirai noted in the video statement. “These changes were the result of an intensive investigation aided by some of the most respected forensic and security experts in the computer industry.” Those changes include more advanced security technology, advanced levels of encryption, additional firewalls and better early-warning systems, he said. In addition to enhancing security, Sony is also giving PlayStation Network and Qriocity customers a free month of service. And while these measures are a good start, Sony has a lot of work to do to regain user trust . “Please know that we’re doing everything we can to fully restore network service around the world and to regain your trust in the days, weeks and months to come,” Hirai stated. More About: acking , gaming , playstation , playstation 3 , playstation network , securityh , sony For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

As promised, Rovio is rolling out an episodic update to its Angry Birds Rio game. The Angry Birds Rio: Beach Volley update will be available by the end of the week. According to BGR , Rovio says there will be a new episode of the Angry Birds Rio series released each month through November. Viewing the new trailer above, this looks like loads of fun, but we’d rather see more levels where the object of the game is to set birds free, rather than to mangle those annoying little monkeys. Commenters, do you like the Angry Birds Rio series better than the original? Either way, you can now play the original version of Angry Birds on a web browser . More About: Angry Birds Rio: Beach Volley , New Episode , rovio , trailer For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

International fashion retailer Topshop set up a virtual fitting room in its flagship Moscow store last week, an experimental move for the retailer. The fitting room, which was built by Russian agency AR Door, uses Microsoft Kinect and augmented reality to let shoppers try on clothes without going into a fitting room. A built-in camera recognizes a human body and superimposes a 3D model of a garment; users can switch clothes using simple gestures, powered by Kinect. Like virtual fitting rooms on the web and in mobile apps , the 3D fitting is awkward at best, but it does give an idea of what clothes shopping might be like a decade from now. More About: Augmented Reality , fashion , kinect , topshop , virtual fitting room For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Note: There are issues with the live video embed. While we work to fix it, you can check out the live video from Google I/O here . Google is poised to make headlines today as it announces major Android and Chrome-related news at its Google I/O developer conference. Each year, Google brings thousands of people together for a two-day event in San Francisco, where the company teaches developers about its current suite of products and launches new products to the masses. Last year, the search giant unveiled Google TV , and the year before, it showcased Google Wave . This year, we’re expecting Google to launch its music service , talk about Chrome OS and provide a look into the future of Android. Google usually has a surprise up its sleeve though. This year, Google will be streaming the keynotes live via YouTube. We have embedded the live stream at the top of this article. We will be reporting from the conference live as well, covering all the breaking news. More About: Google , google io , live video , youtube For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Creative has unveiled a new Bluetooth wireless speaker that will work with the iPhone called the D80 . The speaker has dual 3-inch drivers and an aux input for connecting players that don’t support Bluetooth. A new Bluetooth thumb keyboard has turned up that works with the iPhone and other devices. The iTablet Thumb Keyboard has a track pad on the back and a QWERTY layout for the keys. The Dev-Team has announced that the untethered jailbreak tool for iOS 4.3.3 is now available. The team noted that this is the third update in a row that has left the hole unpatched that allows the jailbreak to function. Continue reading

Spotify has launched a music download store for its users, added iPod syncing to its desktop application and opened up its mobile apps to non-subscribers.Up until now, Spotify was a streaming-only service; while it was possible to upload your Spotify playlist on an iPod as audio files, it was not an easy task. Now, Spotify lets you manage your iPod classic, nano or shuffle in its desktop application, sync your playlists with these devices and download MP3s through Spotify’s new download service.As far as pricing goes, you can buy 100 tracks for €60, 40 tracks for €30, 15 tracks for €12.99 or 10 tracks for €9.99. If you choose the biggest bundle, the price for the single track is just €0.60.Finally, Spotify has opened its mobile apps to users of its free service (so far, they were only available to premium subscribers). Now, Spotiy Free users can download and install the Spotify iPhone and Android app, buy tracks and wirelessly sync their MP3 playlists from their computer to their phone or iPod touch.With its 9 million users in Europe and these new features, Spotify has become a full-fledged competitor to iTunes, but it still hasn’t solved its biggest problem yet: licensing and availability in the U.S . Once Spotify manages to overcome that obstacle, it’ll be interesting to see Apple’s response.The new features will begin being rolled out to users today as part of an automatic update. For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

You know your band is rad — you have tons of Facebook fans mooning over your every ironic hair metal-inspired profile photo — but you still can’t book a gig. A soon-to-be-launched service called NuevoStage aims to help you finally bring your air kicks to a real stage NuevoStage recently won the $50,000 grand prize at the Rethink Music Conference, in a business plan competition sponsored by Berklee College and Harvard Business School. Like a Groupon for concerts, as founder Maxwell Wessel dubbed it, NuevoStage relies on buyer participation in order to book shows. Wessel has found that there are thousands of venues in the U.S. that are not using their performance spaces at least one night per week, which is a loss when it comes to cash. NuevoStage allows artists to search for venues with open nights and create a listing for a potential show, which they can then pump through social channels. Bands then ask their fans to buy a ticket to the show (fans will have to enter in their credit card info), and if enough fans sign up, the show will go on. If only, say, four people buy tickets, there will be no show, and the fans will not be charged. Wessel plans to monetize the site by charging a ticket processing fee. Wessel, a student at Harvard Business School, says that the site is still in private alpha, so we haven’t had a chance to check it out yet — aside from the demo above. However, he and co-founder Chris Allen plan to launch it this summer. “I created this product because of an awesome University of Vermont band called Bearquarium,” Wessel says. “I saw them perform at the Middle East nightclub, a great alternative club in Cambridge, as an opener. When I approached them after the show I asked whether they ever headlined the club, to which they responded no.” Wessel then decided to create something that would help bands like Bearquarium leverage fans to get gigs. While we’re interested to see this site come to fruition — it sounds like a cross between WHOOZNXT and Bandsurfing — we can see a few kinks that will likely need to be ironed out. First: Bands will have to have adequate lead time to actually booking shows. Imagine reaching the desired fan count the day before and scrambling to get a van/extra amp/ample supply of face paint. Second: The listings will have to make it extremely clear that the show is not a definite — otherwise bands will have some angry fans on their hands. It’s a proven fact (or at least it should be) that a lot of people don’t read carefully — listings will have to be idiot-proof. Still, we like that Wessel is focused on lesser-known acts. “We’ll never be able to set up Lollapalooza or manage a professional tour the way some of the current systems can, but that’s not our goal,” he says. “Our goal is to take some part of the 30,000 stages that go unused on a weekly basis and put aspiring artists on them.” Image courtesy of Flickr, susieq3c More About: groupon , music , NuevoStage , rethink-music For more Media coverage: Follow Mashable Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Media channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Emboldened by a new $75 million contract from NASA, private aerospace company SpaceX released this promotional video Thursday, illustrating how it plans to revolutionize space travel with its reusable Dragon spacecraft and heavy-lift Falcon rockets. The video features real footage from SpaceX ‘s successes alongside animations of future missions. According to the video, that Dragon spacecraft could have been carrying human inhabitants in its first test flight last December. We especially like the way the video demonstrates how those built-in escape rockets on the sides of the Dragon spacecraft will also be used as a retrorockets, enabling the capsule to land “on any surface in the universe.” Could Mars be next? Last week , SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told The Wall Street Journal that SpaceX will enable humans to set foot on Mars in 10 years, with the worst case being 15 to 20 years. Is this the commercial equivalent of John F. Kennedy’s vow to reach the moon by the end of the ’60s? Looks like SpaceX is off to a good start. More About: Dragon , elon musk , Space Travel , spacecraft , SpaceX , video For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

The epic finale of the Harry Potter film series is coming to theaters on July 15, and its trailer just hit iTunes and YouTube. Update: Finding an embeddable version has been a moving target for us, so if you have trouble viewing this clip we’ve embedded here, you can go to iTunes or YouTube to see it. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final movie in the Harry Potter film series; Part 1 of Deathly Hallows premiered in November, 2010. Will Part 2 be in 3D? Part 1 of Deathly Hallows was not released in 3D, because of difficulty converting the film from 2D to 3D, according to IMDb . But the film still broke the record for the Potter franchise’s biggest opening weekend, grossing $125 million and going on to earn $954 million worldwide, the third-highest grossing film of 2010. The upcoming Part 2 will be released in 2D, 3D and IMAX formats. What do you think, Harry Potter fans? Will you be watching this final installment in 3D, or will 2D be good enough? More About: 3D , Film , harry potter , harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 , Movies , trailer , trending For more Media coverage: Follow Mashable Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Media channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Prepare to feel really inadequate about your chosen resume font. This dude has fashioned a custom QR code resume that is sure to break up the monotony of any HR person’s day. Made by Victor Petit — who was looking for an internship , but recently scored one — this resume is reminiscent of band Cassius’s video and accompanying app [iTunes link] for “I Love You So.” It features a QR code in the middle of a picture of a face (on the back of a printed resume) that unlocks a video of the missing mouth on your phone. “I realized during my previous job search that getting an interview at a communication agency is the hardest part of the process,” says Petit. “I tried to create a CV that would enable me to express myself vocally as soon as they read the paper version. The combination of a sheet of paper and a QR code felt like the best way to reach that goal.” We’re not sure what exactly Petit’s skills are from the video alone — it has no sound — aside from being extremely awesome. More About: pop culture , qr code , video For more Media coverage: Follow Mashable Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Media channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

If Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX has his way, humans will take their first step onto Mars in 10 years. Musk said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week that a 10-year timeline was his “best-case scenario” for reaching the planet. Worst case, he said, would be 15 to 20 years. Musk, also the co-founder of PayPal, founded SpaceX in 2002 to develop launch vehicles for exploring and developing space. The company has already built several rockets suitable for launching cargo, but its stated goal is to send humans to space. “I want SpaceX to help make life multi-planetary. I’d like to see a self-sustaining base on Mars,” Musk said in the interview, most of which focused on Tesla. “…We want to be the shipping company that brought people from Europe to America or the Union-Pacific Railroad. Our goal is to facilitate the transfer of people and cargo to other planets.” NASA’s own human spaceflight programs were recently cut, but the organization has been hiring outside companies to devise alternatives. Last week NASA awarded SpaceX a $75 million contract to enable one of the company’s spacecraft to carry astronauts. More About: elon musk , Mars , space , SpaceX , Tesla For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading

Rockmelt is a cloud-based social media browser that’s been available for Mac and PC desktops since last November, but now it’s available for iPhone. Take a look at the video above, and you’ll see that the iPhone version of Rockmelt looks a lot different from the Rockmelt desktop browser . Its mission is carried over nicely to the iPhone, though, where social media takes center stage, even requiring you to log into Facebook when you first launch the app. After that, you can add your Twitter account and a variety of website feeds that make this browser work like an RSS reader. If you’re reading an article and for example, have to board a plane without Wi-Fi, you can save that article for later. And if you’re a user of the Rockmelt browser on Mac or PC, everything you do is in the cloud, so whatever happens on the iPhone version is also visible on any devices running Rockmelt. Here’s the best news yet: It’s free. More About: facebook , iphone , RockMelt , social browser , twitter For more Tech & Gadgets coverage: Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel Download our free apps for Android , Mac , iPhone and iPad Continue reading