Technology

Tune streaming service Rdio has just given its Android application a major makeover. Not only will the app experience the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment for the first time (happy, GNex owners?), but it's also gotten a new look that's easier on the eyes. Furthermore, Rdio added the ability to view user profiles, and also enhanced the app's search capabilities. Amongst the rest of the improvements -- some of which are being ported from the desktop client -- are traits like top charts, recommendations and new releases. You can grab the free update now if you're a current subscriber, otherwise you'll have to jump on board before you can take the app for a spin.

Nokia's revealing the secrets behind ClearBlack: its display technology that, even under the brightest sunlight, renders black as black as blackest night during a dark spell. Wedged above the E7, Lumia 800 and 900 displays are three thin layers, a linear polarizer, a quarter-wave retardation film and a reflecting surface. When light enters the first layer, it vertically aligns the "wave vibration" of the light so when it hits the retardation layer, it begins to rotate towards the right. Hitting the reflecting surface causes it to reverse, becoming left-circularly polarized before passing through the retardation later again, where it polarizes horizontally. This enables the polarizing filter up top to screen out horizontally polarized light, meaning it doesn't reflect back in your face. Why (we hear you ask) then doesn't it happen with the light from the display itself? Because it only passes through the second half of the process, it doesn't become horizontally aligned, leading to that beautifully dark display reaching your peepers. It's a clever and elegant solution that we can't help but be impressed at, even if we've used up the world's supply of the word 'polarize' in order to explain to you.

Glaswegian engineer Grant Gibson spied a Space Invaders alarm clock being flogged off cheap ($5) and decided it deserved hacking. When activated, the battery-powered unit scuttled left to right, old-school style as it roused sleepy gamers but Mr. Gibson added a little Arduino magic to turn it into a moving Gmail notifier. Stripping out the battery compartment, he installed a USB-powered Arduino Nano, programmed to poll his email and activate the motion whenever he received a new message. The system is ripe for customization, it can be set up to alert when a front door bell is pushed or a notification received on Twitter -- which you'll be allowed to try as he's included all the details on his blog. The project (including the Nano and Alarm Clock) came to $20 and three hours of his time, which we're understandably impressed by. Head on past the break to see the thing in action and then fling yourself (highland-style) down to the source link to learn how to build your own.

As usual, it seems like whenever a big chip company wants to keep those key details under wraps, someone leaves a spreadsheet lying in a bar. Of course, the following information could be the product of a vengeful former employee mashing at a keyboard, so let's agree that these are rumored details until further notice. NVIDIA's whole range of Kepler-powered graphics cards will be PCI-E 3.0 compliant, with the GTX690 topping the group at $999 when it arrives in Q3 of this year, while the modestly-priced GTX640 will retail for $139 when it arrives in May. If you'd like to drill down into the specifics of all eight cards purportedly on offer for 2012, we've got all the details in a handy chart nestled just after the interval.