Thursday, August 22, 2013

Google adds zoos to Street View, heroically avoids calling it 'Street Zoo'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/street-zoo/

Google adds zoos to Street View, heroically avoids calling it 'Street Zoo'

Granted, the name "Street View" doesn't really apply like it used to, but who's going to argue with a feature like this? Google announced today that it's added imagery from zoos all over the world to the Maps feature, meaning that you can check out lions, tigers and red pandas in their unnatural habits and avoid the long lines at the monkey house. Google's got links to the zoo shots in the source link below, including locations in Singapore, Germany, Spain, the UK and China -- sadly there are no dog lions, however, so far as we can tell.

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Source: Google Latlong

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Canon appeals to internet socialites with PowerShot N Facebook camera

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/22/canon-powershot-n-facebook/

Canon appeals to internet socialites with PowerShot N Facebook pointandshoot

Facebook fanatics have a smartphone to call their own, and now they have a camera, too. Canon's PowerShot N, which first made its debut at CES, just scored a few (relatively minor) tweaks. The point-and-shoot features an unusual square design, so it can be rotated and held in a variety of orientations. There's a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 processor, 28-224mm f/3.0-5.9 8x optical zoom lens and a 2.8-inch capacitive-touch tilting LCD, just as you'll find on the original. In fact, the Facebook branding represents the only significant change here, including a dedicated button on the side to upload images to the site (via built-in WiFi) and a new Facebook upload option in the system menu. It's hardly worth "upgrading" from the original N, but if Facebook is your life, get ready to hand over 300 bucks for this Canon online store exclusive beginning next month.

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Vine for Android update brings mentions, autocompleting hashtags

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/22/vine-android-update-mentions-hashtags/

Vine proved you can do a lot with six seconds of video, and thanks to its latest Android update you can do even more. Version 1.3.4 brings a couple of usability fixes to help the world see your valiant attempts at short-form comedy, including @ mentions in posts and comments and autocompletion for hashtags. The changelog notes "other bugs fixes and improvements" too, but the takeaway here is that the Google version is just about on par with the iOS one. Now, could you please hurry along and make one of those rad stop-motion clips for us? Thanks.

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Via: Vine (Twitter)

Source: Google Play

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Kickstarter-bound Zeus copy machine prints, scans and faxes 3D objects

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/22/aio-robotics-zeus-3d-copy-machine/

Kickstarterbound AIO Robotics Zeus copy machine prints, scans and faxes 3D objects

As the god of gods, Zeus has a tremendous list of assets at his disposal. A 3D printer that can also scan and transmit objects, however, has until now been out of reach. AIO Robotics is gearing up to introduce the Zeus of the modern world, an all-in-one machine that duplicates 3D objects, even when they're not nearby. The device, which will make its Kickstarter debut on September 4th, will function in much the same way as a traditional all-in-one printer, with the obvious advantage of being able to create three-dimensional objects. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the creators expect Zeus to cost less than a Makerbot Replicator and Digitizer combo. It's also forecasted to be "the most reliable and usable 3D printer so far," according to a RepRap forum post. Time will tell.

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Via: GigaOM

Source: AIO Robotics, RepRap

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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

5 Fun Ways To Destroy Your House on Street View

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5-fun-ways-to-destroy-your-house-on-street-view-1173936429

5 Fun Ways To Destroy Your House on Street View

Want to see what your home would look like if it were demolished by a tropical storm? Or if your city turned into a ruined post-apocalyptic outpost? You can do this and more virtual destruction using a few Google Maps tricks. Here are five good ones, courtesy of Keir Clarke from Google Maps Mania.

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Human Body for iOS: Almost The Most Fun You'll Have Exploring Your Body

Source: http://gizmodo.com/human-body-for-ios-almost-the-most-fun-youll-have-exp-1174420897

Human Body for iOS: Almost The Most Fun You'll Have Exploring Your Body

While most educational apps are generally intended for children, let's be honest—anyone not in the field probably remembers next to nothing about how the human body works other than the fact that, you know, it does. Fortunately, The Human Body by Tinybop is just as fascinating for adults as it is for children, letting you explore every excreting, beating, and oozing crevice of human biology, all at your own pace.

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Your Phone Will Soon Spew 4K Video From Its USB Port

Source: http://gizmodo.com/your-phone-will-soon-spew-4k-video-from-its-usb-port-1176546180

Your Phone Will Soon Spew 4K Video From Its USB Port

The Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) standard, beloved of Roku and Android phone manufacturers, is about to get exciting: an update coming in September will allow phones to spit out 4K video from their USB ports.

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Samsung unveils AirTrack soundbar for 60-inch and larger TVs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/samsung-unveils-airtrack-soundbar-for-60-inch-and-larger-tvs/

Samsung unveils AirTrack soundbar for 60inch and larger TVs

Many soundbars are designed for small or mid-sized TV sets, where price and space are top priorities. Samsung is bucking that trend with its newly unveiled AirTrack HW-F850: its follow-up to the vacuum tube-based F750 is built expressly for 60-inch and larger screens. As Samsung can afford a considerably larger bar, the F850 boosts the total power to 350W, up 40W from the F750. The company promises deeper bass from the subwoofer, too. As you'd expect, both Bluetooth audio and NFC pairing carry over from the F850's tinier counterparts. Samsung expects to ship the extra-large soundbar to Europe in September; the company hasn't mentioned pricing, although the F850 will likely command a premium over smaller AirTrack models.

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Source: Korea Newswire (translated)

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LG Display claims a world's first with 2,560 x 1,440 LCD for smartphones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/lg-display-worlds-first-quad-hd-display/

LG Display claims a world's first with 2,560 x 1,440 LCD for smartphones

Full HD displays? Eat your heart out, handset manufacturers. LG Display has just laid claim to the world's first Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) smartphone display, which also boasts the highest pixel density of a mobile device, clocking in at 538ppi. The firm's panel measures up at 5.5-inches and is only 1.21mm thick, and just 1.2mm at its bezel. According to LG, that makes it the world's slimmest and narrowest panel, stealing the crown from hardware it showed off last month. Thanks to its use of AH-IPS tech and Low Temperature Poly-Silicon (LTPS) substrate, the screen features 430 nits of brightness. If the Quad HD math is throwing you off, that's four times as many pixels as a 1,280 x 720 display. This isn't 4K on a portable display, but we'll take it.

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Google invites users to share their expertise over video Helpouts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/google-invites-users-to-helpouts/

Google invites users to share their expertise over video Helpouts

Word broke in late July that Google might launch Helpouts -- a Hangout-based video platform where folks could charge for lending assistance over video -- in about a month's time. Like clockwork, Mountain View's officially announced the platform, but it isn't a free-for-all just yet. Page and Co. are inviting people with expertise in different topics to offer their services when the solution opens for business. The search giant has published a form allowing self-proclaimed experts to toss their hat in the ring for an invite, and lists categories including Arts and Music, Computers and Electronics, Cooking, Education, Fashion and Beauty, Fitness and Nutrition, Health and Counseling along with Home and Garden. Fittingly, Google's own help documents for Helpouts have gone live as well, and they give us a few more details.

First, users will have to submit a listing for their services, which Google will review just before hanging out with them over video to get acquainted and ensure their live feed is in tip-top shape. If you're a medical professional, you can offer your expert opinion to the masses as well, but Mountain View will confirm you've got the proper certificates and licenses in order. Once that's done, interested customers will be able to check a pro's availability and schedule appointments. Folks can offer their skills for free or charge for sessions, but both parties must use Google Wallet for the transaction, and Google will apply a 20 percent fee (yes, even with credit card payments). A launch date for Helpouts is MIA, but you can sign up to be notified and provide a helping hand at the source.

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Source: Google (1), (2)

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SwiftKey Cloud exits beta, available as free update in version 4.2

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/swiftkey-cloud-final-version/

SwiftKey Cloud exits beta, available as free update in version 42

After nearly a month of beta testing, SwiftKey Cloud is now ready for the masses. Now in final form, the popular Android keyboard can backup and sync customizations across devices, and it can even learn phrases that are trending across the globe. Thanks to one-click authorization, it's now easier for SwiftKey to learn phrases from your Facebook and Gmail accounts, and it can also now tap into Yahoo Mail. You'll also find more responsive Flow predictions in the final version, along with some Emoji fixes. SwiftKey Cloud arrives as part of SwiftKey 4.2, which is available as a free update to current users. The app is also available for a free 30-day trial, but for a limited time, you can also snag the paid version for $2.99 / £1.49, which rings in at half off the regular price. Certainly worth checking out if the stock Android keyboard is no longer cutting it.

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Escape for Google Glass brings casual gaming to explorers (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/escape-for-google-glass/

Escape for Google Glass is casual gaming for Explorers

You know what's not new? Android games. You know what is new? Games for Google Glass. There has been the odd attempt so far, but french-based game developer AMA is porting one of its bonafide titles over to the small screen for real. Escape! is a simple puzzler, the sort that we're all familiar with on our phones, that is being squeezed into the wearable format. While games on the hardware might be something of an inevitability, we managed to get our eyes inside a pair to take a better look for ourselves. Head past the break to see how it worked out.

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LG exec: tablet, phablet, smartwatch and Firefox OS device coming soon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/lg-exec-tablet-phablet-smartwatch-and-firefox-os-device/

lg-backing-off-tablets-focus-on-cellphones

LG's mobile communications head in Bulgaria, Dimitar Valev, has laid out some of the company's key plans in an interview with Dnevnik.bg. For starters, he confirmed that the company will fire up its temporarily mothballed tablet lines with a new model, likely the 9.8-inch V500 we saw at the FCC earlier today. On the smartphone side, LG will trump its 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro model with a 6-inch handset and release a Firefox OS device early next year. Most intriguingly, he said said the company would give the smartwatch category another kick at the can, despite indifference to LG's GD910 Watch Phone model several years ago -- adding that the device might use flexible LCD tech. We're not sure if Mr. Valev was speaking out of turn, but if accurate, it'll be interesting to see how the new hardware pans out -- especially LG's take on Firefox OS.

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Via: Phone Arena

Source: Dnevnik.bg

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Verizon LG Enact leaks in press image, proves QWERTY sliders still exist

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/verizon-lg-enact-leak-qwerty-slider/

Verizon LG Enact leaks in press image, proves that the reported death of the QWERTY slider was exaggerated

According to serial leak merchant @evleaks, the LG Enact is days away from making an official appearance on Verizon, a carrier that reckons there's still life in the 'ole keyboard-packed form factor, with a phone that looks a whole lot like the Android sliders of the past. Yep, LG's new Android smartphone houses an increasingly rare full QWERTY keyboard, a pretty old-school four-key capacitive button layout, and a mix of Verizon and LG-skinned app icons. However, we're already wary of how the Enact's keyboard will handle -- with space at a premium on these keyboards, that substantial border either side of the keys could result in some cramped thumbs. However, at this stage we're not certain of the screen-size and dimensions of the slider, so we'll hold our judgement until we get to tap away on it in real life.

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Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

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Netflix's new 'My List' replaces queues, lets users worldwide bookmark their favorites

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/netflix-queue-streaming-my-list/

Netflix

Netflix's Watch Instantly streaming service in the US started with the same queue-based experience users were familiar with from its disc-by-mail rentals for bookmarking titles to watch later, but internationally the option has never existed. Now the experience is changing everywhere, as Netflix replaces the old queues with "My List." Outside the US subscribers will notice the biggest change, as they're able to curate their own viewing lists instead of relying solely on search or the service's automatically generated genre lists. Otherwise the selection process is mostly the same as we've come to expect, with a "+ My List" button single click adding it to the list of up to 500 items in each user's profile. My List should pop up on individual accounts over the next couple of weeks, check after the break for a breakdown of all the changes incoming plus a video preview of how it will all work.

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Source: Netflix Blog

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