Source: http://gizmodo.com/twitters-adding-new-search-features-for-web-users-filt-1511760075
Twitter's adding new search features for web users: filter results by videos, photos, news, or people. You can also filter only results from those you follow. [Twitter via The Verge]
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/twitter-dataminr-for-news/
We've known for sometime that Twitter is looking to make a move in the news game, but what that would look like was still unclear. Today, the blue bird's intentions are starting to look a bit more concrete, with the announcement of Dataminr for News, a tool that pinpoints and alerts journalist of breaking news before every Joe with a dot com is tweeting about it. The tool, created in partnership with NY startup Dataminr, uses machine learning algorithms to identify big and reliable stories and alert journalists via email, mobile alerts, and other means. It will also provide detailed information about the origins and sources behind the information. According to The Verge, CNN has used Dataminr tools for months and is already seeing some payoff: it claims to produce at least two stories a day sourced from the service.
The new initiative feeds into the "me first" media culture that has seen hoaxes rise to the top of Twitter as quickly as real breaking news stories. However, Dataminr claims that its algorithms cut through the bull shit by looking beyond the first tweet to find "corroborating sources on the ground" among other factors. According to TechCrunch, Dataminr CEO Ted Bailey said Dataminr for News will become available to all journalists for an undisclosed price later this year.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Verge, TechCrunch
Source: Twitter
Though we were able to tell you all about the Geeksphone Revolution's specs last month, the gestation-themed stock photo gave no clue as to how it actually looked. Now, we finally have pictures of the Firefox OS/Android dual-boot handset (there's another after the break) and a further description of how it'll work. First off, Geeksphone is now referring to the Firefox OS option as "Boot2Gecko by Mozilla," harkening back to the original (awful) name for some reason. Nomenclature aside, it'll come with Android installed (a version hasn't been specified yet) and you'll be able to choose Boot2Gecko or "any other community-supported ROM" -- but it won't be dual-boot. You will get OTA updates for whichever OS option you choose though, along with the previously reported dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 4.7-inch 960 x 540 screen, 1GB of RAM and 8-megapixel rear/2-megapixel front cameras. There's still no s! ign of a release date and, more importantly, the price -- that'll no doubt weed out those willing try the MultiOS device from those who prefer the devil they know.
Update: Geeksphone has told us that "Boot2Gecko" is how Mozilla is now branding Firefox OS for carriers, but is otherwise identical. The more you know...
The whole point of owning an Amazon tablet is that you're eventually gonna buy stuff. Want movies? Amazon's got you covered. Music? Time to check out Amazon's MP3 store. And then, of course, there's books: Amazon expects you to buy lots and lots of reading material through the built-in Kindle app. Now, though, another company is trying to get in on the action. Scribd, which already runs a $9-a-month e-book subscription service, is opening up shop on Kindle Fire tablets. As on the existing apps (Android, iOS and a web version), the Kindle version offers unlimited monthly access, allowing readers to share what they're reading and embed books onto websites. The catch? Scribd only has a deal with one major publishing house, HarperCollins, with the rest of the catalog comprised of titles from independent publishers. So, while you'll enjoy authors like Michael Chabon and classics like Sh*t My Dad Says, you'll be missing out on things like the Game of Thrones! series. Then again, if you read even two books a month, that $9 fee could pay for itself.
Android may have quickly reached the top of the smartphone world, but there are signs that this red-hot growth is cooling off... if only just. Strategy Analytics estimates that the platform claimed nearly 79 percent of smartphone market share in 2013. While that's both a record high and a big step up from almost 69 percent in 2012, it also represents Android's slowest annual growth rate since its birth. As the analysts note, Google is facing an increasingly saturated market; there are only so many more customers it can reach.
Not that things were rosy for other mobile operating systems last year. Apple shipped more phones in 2013, but not enough to avoid a dip to 15.5 percent market share. Windows Phone grew to 3.6 percent share, although its one-point improvement over 2012 wasn't going to make Apple or Google nervous. And for smaller platforms, 2013 was downright ugly. BlackBerry, Symb! ian and others fell from a collective 9.1 percent in 2012 to just 2 percent. The smartphone market in 2014 is effectively a three-horse race, and it's doubtful that the rankings will change any time soon.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/sony-add-on-will-let-you-graft-a-giant-camera-to-your-tablet/
Whether you like it or not, tablet photography is here to stay -- it's only fair that slate owners get a fair chance at taking nice pictures. Sony certainly thinks so, since it has unveiled a new mount, the SPA-TA1, that attaches its QX lens cameras to tablets. The peripheral isn't just for small devices, either; it includes six adjustable arms that accommodate larger hardware, like the Xperia Tablet Z and VAIO Tap 11. Sony ships the camera accessory to Japan this April for a suggested price of ¥3,675 ($36). There's no word of a US release, but we wouldn't rule out an eventual stateside launch.
Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals, Tablets, Sony
Via: Xperia Blog, Talk Android
Source: Sony (translated)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/lgs-g-pro-2-leaked-pics-indicate-it-will-steal-the-g2s-rear-bu/
LG only just announced that it's launching the G Pro 2 phone next month, and now two pictures that claim to show the device have surfaced on a Korean forum, DC Inside. Following up on last year's 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro, the pictured device features a rear-mounted button setup mirroring LG's most recent flagship phone, the G2. The pics lack accompanying details, although Android Central mentions rumors have hinted at a size bump to 6-inches, support for faster LTE-A networks, a Snapdragon 800 CPU and 1080p screen -- it's also unknown if the G Pro 2 will follow the G2's software tweaks with "knock on" and QSlide multitasking. Check after the break for one more picture -- we should have all the details confirmed by the time the Mobile World Congress 2014 event begins in Barcelona on February 24th.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Via: Android Central
Source: DC Inside
There's a new 3D printer in town, and unlike other models that use plastic, rubber or even chocolate, this one prints out objects using a far tougher material: carbon fiber. The printer, named Mark One, was designed by creator Gregory Mark as a way to reduce carbon fiber manufacturing costs. He sees Mark One as a way to make useful things like tools, replace! ment parts or even home fixtures, though nothing would stop you from printing out super-durable toys and knick-knacks, too. Of course, carbon fiber raw materials my not be so easy to come by, so Mark's creation also works with other composites, like fiberglass, nylon and PLA plastic. Those who want to make tough little trinkets (and have $5,000 to spare) will have to wait until March to pre-order the Mark One, but folks in San Diego can see it in person right now at the SolidWorks World convention.
Not only has Olympus unveiled the Stylus SP-100 with a whopping 50x optical zoom lens, it's tackled one of the biggest issues in using such cameras: losing a moving subject. The new model is equipped with what the company calls its "eagle-eye" dot-sight located just above the viewfinder, which projects a target onto a semi-transparent mirror below the flash, as shown in the photo after the break. That way, you can keep a bead on your photographic prey (the tech is also used on gun-sights) without needing to zoom out, which could make the difference between nailing or losing a shot. The rest of the specs include a 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with a TruePic VII processor, 7fps burst speed with a small 6 frame buffer, a 24-1200 (50mm equivalent) f/2.9-6.5 lens, a 3-inch, 460K-dot LCD, 920K-dot EVF and 1080/60p Full HD video. It'll arrive in March for $400 or so and while it might not be the biggest superzoom out there, at least you may actually catch Junior's winning goal.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/gridded-superlens-brings-wireless-power-transmission-1510675780
Above is a close-up of what developers call a "superlens," a device that can focus low-energy magnetic waves over a distance. The result? Wireless power generation over nearly one foot of air between transmitter and receiver.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/to-make-glass-stronger-etch-it-with-microscopic-cracks-1510973860
To anyone who has ever dropped a wine glass or broken a window, you might have a thing or two to learn from mollusks. A new technique inspired by natural materials such as mollusk shells or tooth enamel can make glass 200 times stronger. Weirdly enough, it works by weakening the glass with microscopic cracks.
Last month, we discovered Google was working on a tool that would port Chrome apps to both Android and iOS. Today, the folks in Mountain View released a developer preview that does just that. Like the early rumblings suggested, it's based on open-source Apache Cordova, which leverages the software's native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This means that the software will get wrapped in the stylings of a native app and can be submitted to each app store for distribution. There's also a slew of Chrome APIs available that you'd expect to see in mobile apps, including the ability to build in payments, notifications and alarms on top of those offered by the Cordova platform. Now that the tools are in the hands of devs, we'll have to bide our time until the finished Chrome apps begin to surface.
IIT was designed as a mixture of mediums, including physical reconstructions that were meant to resemble Fallujah, Iraq. This scenario was complemented by a piping in of digital sounds and avatars to create a fully immersive environment.
VIPE, though, is purely digital. Aside from the individuals within the Holodeck, everything else is a projection based on simple, and inexpensive, consumer technology.
On Tuesday, 17-year-old Thomas Sohmers unveiled a new super fast computer server that uses a fraction of the electricity that a normal computer does.
He's showing it off at the Open Compute Project (OCP) Summit happening this week in San Francisco.
OCP is the Facebook-led project that is changing the data center hardware industry. It's where big Internet companies like Facebook design their own hardware to be faster and cheaper than traditional options from companies like Dell, HP, IBM, or Cisco. (But Dell and HP are also involved in OCP). It gives those designs away for free, a concept called open source hardware.
This computer is the first product from Sohmers' startup, REX Computing, created with 52-year-old co-founder and CTO Kurt Keville.
The computer is a very powerful machine built with ARM processors, the kind low-power processors that run smartphones and tablets. (In geek speak: these are multi-core ARM processors designed for servers, made by a San Jose company called Xilinx.)
These servers allow more computing power to be packed into a smaller space. The server is "2,500% more power-efficient for the same performance," Sohmers told Business Insider. Think of it like a supercomputer running on the equivalent of smartphone battery.
And that has big implication! s for building green-but-powerful data centers.
"I think of myself as an entrepreneur besides just being an electrical engineer. I believe what I'm doing can have a major effective on the world," Sohmers said.
Low-power ARM servers is big trend in the server industry with companies like HP and Dell now in the market, but one that hasn't really taken off yet for a bunch of technical reasons that add up to one thing: there isn't a lot of software that runs on them, yet.
Intel claims that its Jarvis headset's voice recognition makes it smart, but we've seen voice commands on Bluetooth earpieces before -- what's so special this time around? It's all about offline support, the company tells Quartz. Unlike many wearables, Jarvis can process complex voice requests without talking to a server. That's most helpful when there's no internet access, but it also leads to faster, more natural interaction than you typically get from the likes of Google Now or Siri. You won't necessarily have to buy Jarvis to reap its benefits, either. Intel hopes to sell its voice recognition technology to phone manufacturers, so your handset may be the only smart device you need.
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