Tuesday, July 02, 2013

14-inch Razer Blade gaming laptop review: smaller, faster, lighter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/02/14-inch-razer-blade-gaming-laptop-review/

14inch Razer Blade gaming laptop review smaller, faster, lighter

Most companies refresh their products on an annual basis, carefully timing development and release schedules to match consumer demand, product obsolescence and component upgrades. It's the norm, an expected pattern that most PC, smartphone and tablet manufacturers follow. Razer, however, completely ignores this cycle, as exemplified by its Blade line of gaming laptops -- already on its third generation in less than two years. This would be less impressive if the firm wasn't a relative newcomer to the game; before it announced the Blade, Razer was known primarily for creating keyboards, gaming mice and console controllers. A fully fledged gaming PC was a jarring departure for the humble peripheral maker.

Even so, here we are: reviewing the third-generation Razer Blade gaming laptop. This, too, is a departure from what we've grown to expect from the company -- a smaller, thinner device bereft of the previous model's signature Switchblade interface. For some PC manufacturers, a 14-inch machine might be just another SKU in the catalog. But for Razer, it's almost a mark of progress: not only is the Blade popular enough to necessitate successive generations, but also multiple form factors. It's also the company's lowest-priced laptop yet, not to mention its first to include Intel's new fourth-generation CPU -- but at $1,800 for the base model, it still isn't cheap. Read on to see if the new Blade has enough charm to be worth its lofty price tag.

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ASUS' 31.5-inch 4K monitor is up for pre-order for an introductory $3,500

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/01/asus-taking-preorders-for-4k-monitor/

ASUS' 315inch 4K monitor is up for preorder for an introductory $3,500

A mere month after ASUS unveiled its 31.5-inch 4K monitor to the world, and the humbly-named PQ321 is already available for pre-order on Amazon, Newegg and TigerDirect. As a reminder, the Ultra HD display boasts a jaw-dropping 3840 x 2160-pixel 10-bit RGB (a billion colors) IGZO panel with LED backlight, 176-degree viewing angles, a maximum of 350 cd/m2 in brightness and 8ms GTG response time. Built-in stereo speakers sweeten the package, as does a 3.5mm audio jack, DisplayPort connectivity and dual HDMI inputs. Oh, and did we mention it's also apparently the thinnest 4K monitor on the market at only 35mm thick? However, you'll have to pay a pretty penny for all that awesomeness: it has an introductory price of $3,499.99. That's about $300 less than what was announced a month ago, but it's still not exactly cheap. The PQ321 is set for a July 16th release date, so you still have a couple weeks to bribe relatives, rob a bank or sell off any unwanted organs.

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Via: ZDNet

Source: Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect

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Monday, July 01, 2013

Bing adds licensing rights refinement to image search

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/01/bing-images/

Image

Here's a nice little feature for those of us who love to post images on the internet. Bing has added the ability to refine image results by license. The addition's simple enough to use -- just do a search and pull the appropriate license from a drop down on the top of the results page, alongside options for date, size and color. Selections include public domain and options like "free to modify, share and use," based on the Creative Commons licensing system, so there's no doubt as to precisely how you can incorporate them into your own posts. Google's had a similar option on its own search engine for some time -- albeit one's that's a bit less prominently displayed.

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Source: Bing Blog

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This Chart Proves That Many Internet Explorer Users Are Only Using It Because They're Forced To At Work

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/browser-usage-chart-internet-explorer-usage-dips-on-weekends-2013-7

For many Americans, going into work every Monday is made just a little bit worse because their companies force them to use Internet Explorer.

Redditor Flying_ScotchMan noticed a really interesting pattern when he was looking at aggregate browser use statistics over at StatCounter Global Stats.

Here's the chart of daily browser market share:

browser use

 

Take a look at the weekly periodic perturbations of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and to some degree Safari. 

During the Monday to Friday work week, Internet Explorer gains around 2% marketshare.

That browser drops over the weekend, when people aren't working and using their home machines — which have either Google Chrome or Safari on it, each of which enjoy a roughly 1-2% jump in usage over the weekend.

That's one interpretation of this data, and by far the most compelling. 

It's a cool look at why people prefer different browsers and why, despite a relatively poor reputation, Microsoft's browser is able to maintain such a consistent marketshare. 

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ZTE Open, the first Firefox OS phone for consumers, launches tomorrow for $90

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/01/zte-open-launches-tomorrow/

ZTE Open, the world's first Firefox OS phone, launches tomorrow for $90

When Mozilla said devices running Firefox OS would be cheap, we didn't know they'd be this cheap. Telefónica has just tweeted that the ZTE Open will be launching in Spain tomorrow for €69, which translates to around $90 and is a good $30 less than the cheapest developer unit we'd seen until now. And here's where it gets pretty wild: that price includes €30 ($39) of airtime for prepaid customers. When we played with the Open back in February at Mobile World Congress, we weren't exactly blown away by it, but we're arguably not the target demographic. The real question is whether Spaniards will be willing to sacrifice access to Google's services and ecosystem with devices like the Vodafone Smart Mini now selling for as little as €49 ($65).

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Source: Telefonica Digital

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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Intel hopes to speed up mobile Atom chip development

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/28/intel-hopes-to-speed-up-mobile-atom-chip-development/

Intel shows Merrifield reference phone

Intel has a real presence in the smartphone world, but its tendency toward just one or two mobile chip releases per year makes it a slowpoke next to its ARM-based rivals. New CEO Brian Krzanich clearly isn't happy with this gap -- he tells Reuters that mobile Atom development could speed up under his watch. Although the executive is short on specifics, he notes that Intel is "evaluating" the schedule for future chips with hopes of improving their timing where possible. The proof will be in the pudding, of course -- the company needs to give opponents like Qualcomm a real run for their money. Just don't expect a similarly breakneck pace with Intel's TV service plans. Krzanich says Intel is being "cautious" about entering an industry that depends more on content than pure technology.

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Source: Reuters

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Google Will Kill Its Popular News-Reading App Tomorrow, So Use These Instead (GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-reader-alternatives-2013-6

Digg RSS iPhone App

Google is going to kill off Google Reader, a Web-based app that pulls in articles from news sites you subscribe to, on July 1. 

The news of Google Reader's demise came out in March, and since then several companies have rushed to fill the hole that will be left. Google Reader is a very popular product, so there are plenty of people who will be looking for an alternative once it's gone for good.

There are dozens of readers out there, but let's make it simple. If you're a Google Reader user, there are only two services we recommend looking at to replace it: Digg Reader and Feedly.

Both of these services can pull in news subscriptions currently stored in your Google account just by logging in with the same credentials you use to sign into Gmail and other Google services. You can also manually subscribe to websites and get all the articles published almost immediately. 

Let's break it down:

Digg

News aggregation site Digg made a lot of headlines the day after Google said it was killing its reader by promising to create one of its own. The Digg Reader launched last week on the iPhone, iPad, and Web. It has quickly become our favorite Google Reader alternative because of its clean design and mix of stories pulled in from Digg's editorial team.

Download Digg for iPhone/iPad and sign up to try the Web version.

Click here to take a look at Digg Reader >

Feedly

Feedly has been around for a long time, and it's already gained a ton of new users since Google announced it planned to kill Google Reader. At first glance, Feedly looks nearly identical to Google Reader, with a list of your news sources in a small column to the left and the stories in a bigger window on the right. It also integrates with social networks like ! Pinteres t.

Feedly's biggest advantage over Digg is that it has both and Android and iPhone app. If you're an Android user, this is your best choice.

Download Feedly for iPhone/iPad or Android and try the Web version.

Click here for a tour of Feedly >

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Friday, June 28, 2013

USC finds that D-Wave's quantum computer is real, maybe

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/28/usc-finds-that-d-wave-quantum-computer-is-real-maybe/

D-Wave processor wafer

D-Wave has had little trouble lining up customers for its quantum computer, but questions have persisted as to whether or not the machine is performing quantum math in the first place. University of Southern California researchers have tested Lockheed Martin's unit to help settle that debate, and they believe that D-Wave's computer could be the real deal -- or rather, that it isn't obviously cheating. They've shown that the system isn't based on simulated annealing, which relies on traditional physics for number crunching. The device is at least "consistent" with true quantum annealing, although there's no proof that this is what's going on; it may be using other shortcuts. Whether or not D-Wave built a full-fledged quantum computer, the resulting output is credible enough that customers won't feel much in the way of buyer's remorse.

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Source: Wired

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This Awesome Spray Will Waterproof Anything [VIDEO]

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/neverwet-waterproofing-spray-video-2013-6

Rust-Oleum has a new spray product called NeverWet that will waterproof anything, leading the very impressed folks at Buzzfeed to declare that "science is the real witchcraft."

Neverwet works on soft porous surfaces as well as hard ones, and even on very soft porous ones like bread or cotton, they show. It will make red wine roll right off your Care Bear.

The product contains acetone (nail polish remover) and liquid petroleum gas, and a few additional "magic" ingredients like "silicone, and siloxanes, Dimethyl-" and silica. You spray it on in a two-step process, which creates a "hydrophobic" layer on the surface. This repells water, making liquids roll right off.

We have to agree with Buzzfeed, it is pretty magical:

But you shouldn't actually spray it on bread. If you eat it you will get serious brain damage. The waterproofing kit can be bought for about $60.

Here's another video from the people at Rust-Oleum:

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Tommy Hilfiger Co-Founder Will Personally Finance The Buyer Of His $75 Million Lake Tahoe Estate

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/joel-horowitz-will-finance-buyer-of-lake-tahoe-estate-2013-6

tranquility tahoe joel horowitzFormer Tommy Hilfiger CEO and co-founder Joel Horowitz has a new plan to sell his gargantuan Lake Tahoe estate, which has been on and off the market for the past six years: He will personally finance the purchase for a qualified buyer.

The financing deals would be worked out once a qualified buyer is found, but it's a rare offer from a seller, a representative for the realtor said.

The home was initially listed for $100 million; it was relisted with Sierra Sotheby's International Realty in January with an asking price of $75 million.

The 210-acre estate, called Tranquility, is the largest on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. In addition to a 27,000-square-foot mansion, it has an indoor glass mosaic pool, private lake, two par-3 golf holes and an indoor golf simulator, horse stables, a wine cellar, a cinema, and separate guest and staff residences.

The decor is also impressive, from a replica of the staircase on the Titanic to four Rembrandt paintings. Nearly all of the furnishings are included in the sale price.

As 210 acres, Tranquility is the largest private estate on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.



It's incredibly private -- the perfect getaway for a billionaire.



In addition to a 27,000-square-foot main home, there are guest and staff quarters and a 16-car garage.



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A 15 Year-Old Girl From Canada Has Built A Flashlight Powered By The Heat Of A Hand

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/15-year-old-flashlight-powered-by-hand-2013-6

There's almost no real reason to own a flashlight now that all smartphones have bright flashes that work as flashlights.

However!

If, for some reason, you do want a dedicated flashlight in your life, a 15 year-old genius, Ann Makosinski from Victoria, B.C. has developed a new, innovative version of the flashlight

Instead of using batteries, the flashlight converts the heat from your palm into energy that powers LED lightbulbs.

Incredible!

The best part of this invention is not the flashlight, which, as we already noted is obsolete. The best part is knowing that a 15-year-old is already playing around with this energy technology. 

Hopefully in the next ten years she can do the same sort of thing for smartphones. Imagine just having to hold your smartphone for it to have enough energy to run? 

Makosinski is a finalist in Google's Science Fair. To see who she's going against, click here »

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