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Monday, April 30, 2012
Burying Conventional Wisdom at The Next Web Conference
The Next Web, a network of online technology outlets, continued its annual conference Friday in Amsterdam. Heeding to Amsterdam's night life, The Next Web waited until 10 a.m. to get things started, which was probably just about as early as the sleep-deprived attendees could have hacked it.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Inhabitat's Week in Green: biophotovoltaic table, giant rubber ducky and cushions of shredded cash
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
Buon giorno! Milan Design Week 2012 is in the rear-view mirror now, but we're still sifting through the incredible furniture, lighting and technology that was showcased all throughout the city this year. Inhabitat sent a couple of correspondents to report on everything that was on display, and they didn't disappoint. We featured a nifty biophotovoltaic table that uses moss to generate electricity through photosynthesis. We also caught wind of a digital camera that IKEA unveiled in Milan that's made of cardboard. And given our love for terrariums, we were pretty excited to find this pendant lamp that doubles as a vegetable garden at this year's fair. But the star of the Milan show this year had to be British designer Tom Dixon, who rolled out countless innovative lamp designs, including the gorgeous Etch Light, which casts geometric shadows all over the room -- and he even invited visitors to design their own flat-pack lamps!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: biophotovoltaic table, giant rubber ducky and cushions of shredded cash originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/29/biophotovoltaic-table-giant-ducky-cushions-of-shredded-cash/
Nintendo posts first annual financial loss as casual gaming continues to shift to Apple and iPhone
Nintendo recently posted their full-year financial results, which included their first operating loss amounting to a deficit of $458 million. Over the whole year, Nintendo sold 13.5 million 3DS portable systems worldwide; to put that in perspective, Apple sold about 9 million iPhones in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2012 alone.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/2oTR7Z7EWoA/story01.htm
Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'
Google, according to reports from "a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem" is finally locking down the open source and easily-fragmented Android operating system.
As it currently stands, Google hands over the 'final' code for each version of Android, and OEMs and developers then spend some time customizing the OS to fit their hardware, and to create a unique and marketable flavor. That's all set to change, however.
Over the last few months, according to several people familiar with the matter, Android licensees such as HTC, Motorola and Facebook, have been asked to sign 'non-fragmentation clauses.' This new contract caveat will give Google the right to review and pass judgment on all changes to the Android OS. Two executives at Facebook say that they're unhappy that Google gets to review its changes to Android -- which is understandable, given Facebook and Google are direct competitors -- and there have also been allegations that Google is preventing some Verizon devices from shipping because they include Microsoft's Bing instead of Google search.
Continue reading Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'
Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source' originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Frank Gehry's Tiffany Chess Set Is a Miniature Architectural Marvel [Games]
Asteroid Miners May Set the Stage for Space Colonization
On Tuesday, the founders of Planetary Resources held a press conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle to announce a new megamillion-dollar plan to use commercially built robotic ships to travel to the asteroid belt to mine for valuable minerals including platinum and gold. "As we move beyond the bounds of Earth to a universe that is full of resources, we can finally bring those materials back to Earth," said speaker Peter Diamandis, cofounder of Planetary Resources.
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5 Reasons Why Nokia Lost Its Handset Sales Lead and Got Downgraded to ?Junk?
In the mobile industry, a 14-year lead is undoubtedly impressive. But Nokia's lead has gradually declined in the past few years, for a number of reasons. Here's what Nokia did wrong -- or alternatively, what Samsung did right -- that led to one handset company's rise over the other.
iPad 3: All the latest rumors in one place
The long-awaited iPad 3 is set to be unveiled this Wednesday, March 7th. Here is TabletBuzzBlog’s round-up of all the current rumors about this hotly-anticipated tablet. Rumor: MacRumors claims that they’ve got hold of the iPad 3 screen spec, and that the new display, although the same physical size as the iPad 1 and 2, will be able to handle DOUBLE the resolution – that’s a whopping�2048×1536 pixels! This would make playing of HD videos and games even more enjoyable [...]
Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/ipad-3-all-the-latest-rumors-in-one-place/
Smart TV May Be Too Smart for Its Own Good
If you've been anywhere near a consumer electronics retailer lately or have leafed through the consumer electronics circulars and ads that supplement Sunday newspapers, you've no doubt noticed the words "Smart TV" shouting out at you. And if you've been wondering what a Smart TV is, or whether whatever it is may be smarter than you are, read on.
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BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game
The "baddies" are swarms of other squares, in all sorts of pretty colors. They track you all over the screen, and you run around very quickly and just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. If that doesn't sound very emotionally deep, it's because it isn't. But it's fun!
After you shoot a baddy, it splashes paint as it disappears. You need to skate across this blob of paint and "eat it up" to get points. This game is fast. It clocked in at around 60-70 FPS on my system, and was loads of fun to play. It does tend to insult you when you die, though, but don't be offended -- I don't think it's personal.
BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/09/battlepaint-is-an-addictive-geometric-shooter-game/
Faking a Giant Dance Troupe Is Easy With a 60-Foot Kaleidoscope [Video]
Google TV YouTube app updated for better recommendations, search and sharing
It only makes sense that the Google TV initiative to increase personalization would extend to videos served up from its YouTube site, and now the official app has been updated to do just that. The new version brings recommendations meant to pull gems you might like out of the ever growing pile of content available, as well as a way to search between the new YouTube channels on your TV. Also users should notice improved video quality since the app will automatically try to play content at the best available resolution from the start, and if they find something interesting, it now supports +1 sharing to Google+. The new app is already live on Google Play, compatible devices should be pointed that way for the new experience.
Google TV YouTube app updated for better recommendations, search and sharing originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google TV Blog | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/28/google-tv-youtube-app-updated-for-better-recommendations-search/
Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app
Bots -- like the kind which automate IRC rooms and Google Wave -- are a good thing to know about. There are plenty of useful bots worth knowing about, too, including the Google Talk Guru.Just add guru@googlelabs.com to your GTalk buddies, and you can start firing off questions. Lifehacker suggests that the same types of queries supported by Google SMS will work, though we didn't have any luck getting a response out of the Guru with phrases like "score detroit red wings" or "sushi R3N 1Y1."
Still, Guru does answer a good variety of questions and it works right within your favorite IM app. It's well worth adding to your friend list, especially for getting answers on the go on your mobile device of choice.
Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/google-talk-guru-answers-questions-via-your-im-app/
Saturday, April 28, 2012
O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only
O'reilly make some of the best computer books in the world. They also sell them as DRM-free e-books in a bunch of formats, including PDFs and Mobi for Kindle.
They usually offer one "Deal of the Day", which is a 50% discount code for a book chosen for that one day. But just for for today, they've created a discount code -- DDJPN -- that gives you a 50% discount on their entire catalog, and they give a part of the proceeds to aid Japan relief efforts.
So far they've raised over $60,000, and the day is still young. So if you've been recently hankering after some nerdy book (or three), now would be a great time to grab one.
They usually offer one "Deal of the Day", which is a 50% discount code for a book chosen for that one day. But just for for today, they've created a discount code -- DDJPN -- that gives you a 50% discount on their entire catalog, and they give a part of the proceeds to aid Japan relief efforts.
So far they've raised over $60,000, and the day is still young. So if you've been recently hankering after some nerdy book (or three), now would be a great time to grab one.
O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Micromax's Superfone A50 Ninja enters India with AISHA voice assistant, forgets its shuriken
Hoping to compete with the Siris of the world, Micromax has announced its new Superfone A50 Ninja alongside a novel feature dubbed AISHA -- which is short for Artificial Intelligence Speech Handset Assistant. Similar to Cupertino's personal secretary, AISHA vows to help folks with every-day elements such as making calls, setting up calendar events and even reporting what the weather looks like. Much to our disappointment, however, the A50 Ninja runs a not-so-new flavor of Android -- Gingerbread to be exact -- and Micromax left out any mention of Android 4.0. On the specs front, the dual-SIM Superfone sports a 3.1-inch display (mum's the word on the resolution), a two-megapixel shooter, Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities and an unspecified 650MHz processor. All in all, thanks to its 4,999 rupees (around $95) budget price, we can't imagine you'd complain too much. Be sure to hit up the Micromax link below if you're interested in grabbing one of these.
Micromax's Superfone A50 Ninja enters India with AISHA voice assistant, forgets its shuriken originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Micromax | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/28/micromax-superfone-a50-ninja-with-aisha-voice-assistant/
Google Cloud Print comes to HP ePrint printers
We're curious, though -- how many of you are still printing? Like our pals at Engadget, our printers have been mostly gathering dust for the last few years.
Google Cloud Print comes to HP ePrint printers originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/google-cloud-print-comes-to-hp-eprint-printers/
OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows
OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).
I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?
OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.
After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.
Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows
OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google Maps 'Cube' game rolls out, back, up, back again
Cast your mind back to January if you will. Head full of steamy CES action? Of course, but you may also remember Google teased us about a new tilt-and-roll Maps game. Well, it looks like the creators may have missed the original February deadline, having finally snuck it out this week. The browser-based game is a series of maze challenges, that'll take you through the streets of San Francisco, downtown Tokyo and beyond. All atop Google's iconic 3D textured maps, naturally. Eight levels in total are on offer, making it an ideal lunchtime -- or if the boss is away -- afternoon time kill. Roll down to the source link below to give it a spin, nudge and roll.
Google Maps 'Cube' game rolls out, back, up, back again originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fusible | Google Cube | Email this | Comments
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/g6qGIQFkLrc/
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