Source: http://gizmodo.com/5-fun-ways-to-destroy-your-house-on-street-view-1173936429
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.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/human-body-for-ios-almost-the-most-fun-youll-have-exp-1174420897
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.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/your-phone-will-soon-spew-4k-video-from-its-usb-port-1176546180
The Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) standard
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/samsung-unveils-airtrack-soundbar-for-60-inch-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.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Source: Korea Newswire (translated)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/lg-display-worlds-first-quad-hd-display/
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.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/google-invites-users-to-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.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Google
Source: Google (1), (2)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/swiftkey-cloud-final-version/
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.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/escape-for-google-glass/
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.
Filed under: Google
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/lg-exec-tablet-phablet-smartwatch-and-firefox-os-device/
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.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Tablets, Wearables, LG
Via: Phone Arena
Source: Dnevnik.bg
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/verizon-lg-enact-leak-qwerty-slider/
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.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon, LG
Source: @evleaks (Twitter)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/netflix-queue-streaming-my-list/
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.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Netflix Blog
Source: http://gizmodo.com/minimum-for-android-a-space-saving-keyboard-for-sloppy-1168628051
After a successful Indigogo funding campaign and a closed trial period, design startup Whirlscape is finally making its Minuum Keyboard available to the public—giving you all the screen space you need by condensing your full, QWERTY keyboard into one, itty bitty line.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/youtubes-getting-a-functional-makeover-on-android-1168594630
Google's YouTube app is getting a functional, stylish makeover Android today. Along with an updated, Google Now-esque, card-based design, you'll also be able to enable your ADD by playing videos while looking for others, and devouring whole playlists. Bet Microsoft is jealous
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/19/jpls-robosimian-flexes-its-robot-muscles-haunts-your-nightmares/
Not content on landing several rovers on the surface of Mars, NASA's JPL team's been working on more earthly projects. RoboSimian is an ape-like robot designed for search-and-rescue missions that's expected to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. It features four multi-jointed limbs with unique hands and no defined front or back -- allowing it to always face the right way. Thanks to its primate-like movement and posture, the robot will be able to navigate over difficult terrain, climb ladders and even drive vehicles (one of the DRC's requirements). While the project itself isn't new, JPL recently published an interesting video that shows RoboSimian gripping tools, lifting its own weight and balancing delicate objects. This means, of course, that robot monkeys will soon join spiders, cats and dogs in your dystopian nightmares. Video after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Source: JPL
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/asus-thunderbolt2-motherboard/
The ink is still fresh on Intel's formal blessing of Thunderbolt 2, and as promised, there's already a product on the market from perennial early bird ASUS. The Z87-Deluxe/Quad ATX is the first motherboard to pack the tech, which combines four of the original 10Gbps Thunderbolt channels into two bi-directional 20Gbps ports. That's four times the speed of USB 3.0 if you're keeping score at home, allowing two 4K displays to be driven at once, or faster-than-SATA-6 SSD speeds, for instance. Otherwise, it's as well-equipped as you'd expect from a bleeding edge mainboard, with 4th-gen Intel (Haswell) CPU support, 10 SATA-6 ports, 8 USB 3.0 ports, and 3 PCIe 3.0/2.0 x 16 slots. There's no pricing or availability yet, though Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards tend to be expensive. Still, if you wear the "early adopter" name-tag with pride, hit the PR after the break.
Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals, ASUS
Via: Legit Reviews
Posts
