Court Rules Cops Can Track You by Phone Without a Warrant

A 2 - 1 ruling handed down by the Sixth District Court of Appeals yesterday makes anyone who has a smartphone smelly.

Don't get so injured, unwashed people. We're talking about the smell of the GPS signal coming from your phone. The court decided that the odor it gives off is fair game for authorities to use when "sniffing out" perps — no warrant necessary.

The perp in question here, Melvin Skinner, tried to invoke the Fourth Amendment to get his phone data thrown out, but to no avail.

(Judge John) Rogers likened it to the use of dogs tracking a scent, and criminals complaining they didn't know they were giving one off, or that the dog had picked it up.

The whole court document is below in all its stuffiness.

VIA: Engadget via Ars Technica

SOURCE: U.S. Court of Appeals

WATCH | A New Far Cry 3 Trailer from gamescom

Taking a leap from their tried-and-true singleplayer FPS routine, Ubisoft revealed four-player co-op mode for their latest jungle island bullet romp, Far Cry 3.

Let the Left 4 Dead comparisons commence. Here's mine: One department in which Ubisoft has Valve beat is ethnic diversity.

WATCH | A New Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Trailer from gamescom

Plenty of new trailers are coming out of gamescom today — take a look at this Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance trailer with all the fixins'.

Ever since Sons of Liberty in 2001, I figured a Raiden spinoff was inevitable. What I didn't expect was for it to feel like the hard-boiled ninja ballet from a Devil May Cry trailer. There's even a song (unfortunately in English.)

The only hint of Kojima's handiwork was that the trailer looked like it was wrapping up about two-thirds of the way through, to leave space for Kojima-esque last-second sensational and speculative reveals. This one was a robot dog companion. Good on ya'.

The Kojima Productions and Platinum Games collabo drops February of next year.

VIA: Kotaku

SOURCE: gamescom

What It's Like for Girl Gamers

Horrendous stock photo courtesy of Metro Creative Connection - I'm so, so sorry

By Elisa Meléndez
Slate.com 

I am a gamer and a geek. I'm at the computer writing this in a Star Trek T-shirt, in celebration of the recent Mars Curiosity rover landing. I've been a gamer for as long as I can remember, having had a Nintendo Power magazine thrust into my hands as soon as I could sound out the words on the page in order to be my older brother's co-pilot.

Since then, I have developed a fierce love of games. I have a tattoo of a Trivial Pursuit pie on my right hip. My haircut resembles one of my favorite characters, Lilith, from Borderlands. You can't tell me Revolution X wasn't amazing. You just can't.

This may sound like I'm trying to validate my geek cred. I shouldn't have to prove anything, you're right, but there are those determined to limit my rise in the gaming world. Though 47 percent of all gamers are women and though many of us are equal in our skills and drive to the men, we are often not welcome. The gamers who still aren't ready for us resort to online harassment to belittle, silence and drive us away from their precious boys' club.

WHOA | The First 360-Degree Landscape Pic from Mars 'Curiosity' Rover

Here's a new update in the saga of NASA's thrill-laden Curiosity rover! Yesterday, NASA released the darling little spacelab's first color panoramic shot from the dusty, red surface of Mars.

Hit the jump and glimpse this lonely, desolate horizon of an alien world for yourself.

LOOK | First Screen of Abe's Oddysee Remake Surfaces

Welcome to the future, Abe

Here we have the first shot of the Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee remake coming from Oddworld Inhabitants and Just Add Water.

So far, the project is pre-pre-pre-alpha, but this HD redressing is a thing, make no mistake. 

Hit the jump for a comparison shot...

WATCH | A 3-D Tour of the Universe

Inside, you'll find the largest 3-D map of the universe ever assembled, courtesy of the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico.

Glide with us through the cosmos! And those of you who own a pair of 3-D anaglyph glasses (the red and blue ones) — hold onto your butts.