<![CDATA[Gizmodo: synergy]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: synergy]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/synergy http://gizmodo.com/tag/synergy <![CDATA[Pre Tracks Your Location and Tells Palm All About It]]> Palm Pre's webOS, besides juggling your life or whatever that creepy girl says, sends information back to the mothership periodically, like what apps you've installed and how much you've used 'em. And location data. Wait. What? Updated.

That's right, part of the data package it delivers to Palm includes your GPS location, according to Joey Hess, on top of ever webOS app you use, and how long you use it:

The first thing sent is intended to be my GPS location. It's the same location I get if I open the map app on the Pre. Not very accurate in this case, but I've seen it be accurate enough to find my house before.

{ "errorCode": 0, "timestamp": 1249855555954.000000, "latitude": 36.594108, "longitude": -82.183260, "horizAccuracy": 2523, "heading": 0, "velocity": 0, "altitude": 0, "vertAccuracy": 0 }

Which their privacy policy totally allows.

Pre Central makes the most out of the info, breaking down their privacy policy and who they're allowed to share it with.

Palm will most definitely be attempting to "clear up" this bit of information, but in the meantime, what's apparent is that the Pre uploads your GPS location to Palm to the best of its ability, and that's just feels a little creepy, even if we're all totally used to broadcasting our location all the time anyway.

Update: As expected, Palm comes through with a clarification, via PhoneScoop:

"Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off. Our privacy policy is like many policies in the industry and includes very detailed language about potential scenarios in which we might use a customer's information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience. For instance, when location based services are used, we collect their information to give them relevant local results in Google Maps. We appreciate the trust that users give us with their information, and have no intention to violate that trust." [emphasis ours]

As Eric notes, they don't exactly mention how to opt out, though. But yes, ordinary enough. [Joey Hess, Pre Central]

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<![CDATA[Open Source Embroidery: Technology Embraces Its Craft Side]]> A legitimate artistic movement known as Open Source Embroidery has sprung up to explore the relationship between, no joke, software engineering and needlework. It's pretty awesome.

The crux of the largely British movement is that both needlework and software creation are an amalgamation of tons of tiny little pieces of work that all come together to create something much larger than the sum of its parts. They also see that both are gender-specific—needlework is traditionally female, while software engineering is traditionally male. Some of the knitters were actually involved in the computer industry at some point in their lives, so their needlework is informed by their interest in technology. It's pretty cool stuff, check out the mini-gallery below. [Wired, images also courtesy Wired]

GALLERYEND

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<![CDATA[Conan O'Brien Reacts to His Super Mario Bros-Themed Backdrop]]> On last night's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (god, that feels great to type), Conan responded to those who noticed his backdrop's uncanny resemblance to a certain mushroom kingdom.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.

Looks like Conan agrees with Nintendo that intentional or not, it's pretty great. [Kotaku]

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<![CDATA[Lenovo Constant Connect Lets ThinkPads Sync Emails Instantly and Automatically With Blackberry Phones]]> Thanks to a new technology called Lenovo Constant Connect, Lenovo laptops will be able to sync enterprise-based emails with Blackberry phones at all times, even while the laptop is powered off.

By the power of Bluetooth, any enterprise based email will automatically be sent from your BlackBerry to your ThinkPad once configured. You won't have to initiate the transfer in anyway. Lenovo Constant Connect is set to release in Q2 2009, but it's still unclear which email apps will support the service and uncertain whether it will work with current/previous-gen ThinkPads.

LENOVO THINKPAD LAPTOP COMPUTERS TO GAIN NEW LEVEL OF INTEGRATION WITH BLACKBERRY SMARTPHONES

Research Triangle Park, NC and Waterloo, ON – February 16, 2009 – Lenovo and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced that the two companies will work together to promote new Lenovo mobile solutions that will help on-the-go business users enhance their mobile computing and communications experience through tighter integration between Lenovo ThinkPad laptop computers and BlackBerry® smartphones.
Leveraging Lenovo's extensive global R&D capabilities and engineering prowess in laptop computers together with RIM's expertise in smartphones and wireless solutions, Lenovo plans to develop and deliver a range of industry-leading solutions and technologies that can help professionals conduct business more effectively on the go.

Lenovo Constant Connect, the first solution developed by Lenovo, will leverage the strengths of the BlackBerry® solution and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops to deliver an unparalleled user experience for flexible, real-time access to enterprise-based email. Lenovo Constant Connect will allow enterprise email received on a user's BlackBerry smartphone to be automatically synchronized via Bluetooth® onto the user's ThinkPad laptop – even if the ThinkPad laptop is off – without the user having to take any additional steps.
This level of integration and availability dramatically improves access to email on the Lenovo ThinkPad laptop from wherever a BlackBerry smartphone can access a connection. In addition to greater flexibility and convenience, it can also reduce the need to use the laptop with fee-based Wi-Fi® networks. Lenovo Constant Connect is expected to be available from Lenovo and its business partners in the second quarter of 2009 in the U.S, and to be rolled out in markets around the world later in 2009.

"With more and more mobile professionals relying on both their BlackBerry smartphone and ThinkPad laptop PC, we view better integration between the two devices as a necessity. Today's announcement is the first step in combining these best-in-class solutions to deliver a more useful and powerful mobile work experience," said Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing.

"Lenovo is adding significant value for our mutual customers by developing tighter and more seamless integration between Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and BlackBerry smartphones," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "By leveraging the industry-leading, push-based connectivity of the BlackBerry solution, Lenovo Constant Connect will simplify email synchronization on the laptop and provide mobile professionals with greater flexibility to manage their email on the move."

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