Ubuntu gets its first smartphone deal, comes to high-end devices in 2014

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/10/ubuntu-gets-its-first-smartphone-deal/

Canonical's smartphone-sized Ubuntu distribution hasn't had an official device to call home since release, but it won't have to live that nomadic existence for much longer. CEO Mark Shuttleworth tells CNET that his company has just signed its first Ubuntu handset deal; the Linux variant should ship with higher-end smartphones sometime in 2014, he says. While Shuttleworth isn't naming this initial customer, he adds that Canonical is negotiating phone deals with four "household brands." It's too soon to say whether or not Ubuntu will get enough support to compete against other mobile platforms, but the agreement suggests that the publicity from the ill-fated Ubuntu Edge campaign is paying off.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: CNET

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Google Glass mod gives you control over home appliances with one touch pairing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/10/google-glass-mod-gives-you-control-over-home-appliances/

The beauty of Glass is that we're just barely scratching the surface of what Google's smart eyewear can, and eventually will, do. Leave it then to the brainiac undergrads at UC Berkeley's CITRIS lab to show us one possible direction that sees the wearables modded for at-home convenience. By adding an IR emitter to the side of Glass, the Berkeley team was able to demonstrate remote control of home appliances by pairing them with an Xbee 802.15.4 WiFi radio and microcontroller.

The controls for the setup are simple. A user need only look at the intended appliance to bridge a connection -- made possible by an IR-transmitted device ID -- and view toggles for control. We know what you're thinking: how does Glass select one appliance from a cluster of nearby devices? To accommodate for this hassle, the team's made it so that the heads-up display will show the user a numerical range of selectable devices and a blinking, blue LED on the intended target when pairing is successful. Users can also swap between appliances by swiping down on Glass' touchpad or allowing for a connection timeout. Yes, it's still early days for cumbersome Glass prototypes like this one, but we'd bet the farm you'll be turning on the AC with the blink of an eye before long. You can check out the demo video after the break for proof of this Glass concept.

Filed under: Wearables, Science, Google

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Source: UC Berkeley

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Google Chromecast adds ten new apps to its streaming arsenal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/10/google-chromecast-adds-ten-new-apps-to-its-streaming-arsenal/

For users of Google's $35 Chromecast dongle, the inclusion of HBO Go was pretty much the final piece of the holy streaming trifecta (the others being Netflix and Hulu Plus). Now, however, Google's opting for quantity over quality and adding ten new apps to its Chromecast-friendly suite. So what's in that grab bag of apps? Well, beyond just supporting its own Chrome browser, Google's now made media casting easier by supporting Plex, RealPlayer Cloud and Avia. But there's also a host of music and video content hubs, like Revision3, VEVO, Red Bull.TV, Viki, Songza, PostTV and BeyondPod, that can now cast straight to your HDTV. Don't fret if you're not seeing the apps update just yet -- Google's said the roll out should take place over the "next few days."

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Google

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Source: Google Chrome Blog

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Microsoft updates Photosynth with ultra high-resolution and 360-degree objects

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/10/microsoft-updates-photosynth/

Microsoft's Photosynth software has its fair share of fans. The high-tech panorama capture has always excelled at stitching together stunning images. The latest beta update brings a host of enhancements to the table that ensure Redmond wont be eclipsed by its competitors in short order. For one, the new Spin Photosynth allows you to walk around an object, snapping pictures that are then pieced together in a 360-degree 3D model. The servers doing all the heavy lifting are even able to identify moving objects, such as the birds in the spin around Haystack Rock after the break, and smooths the transition between pictures. Microsoft has also added support for ultra high-resolution imagery. In the second example after the break, a flight to Everest, you're able to glide your way through the Himalayas. Each full-size frame is a stunning 60 megapixels, which allows you to zoom in and view the glaciers and rocky crags in stunning detail.

If you're interested in checking out the new features before they hit prime time, you can sign up for the technical preview here. But, be warned, it's on a first come first serve basis, so there's no guarantee you'll get into the program.

Filed under: Cameras, Microsoft

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Source: Photosynth Blog, Photosynth Preview

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New Study Finds That More Attractive Students Have Higher GPAs

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-study-finds-that-more-attractive-students-have-higher-gpas-2013-12

Students who are considered to be attractive are more likely to receive higher grades and go to college, according to a new study reported in Time.

The study — which comes from the Society for Research on Child Development — is based on an analysis of the GPAs and attractiveness of 9,000 adolescents, some of whom have been tracked since 1990, Time reports. A student's attractiveness was determined by an interviewer who met with each study participant.

"It's not exactly clear whether the attention and praise increased a child's confidence and hence he or she took extra credit classes and felt more emboldened to ask teachers for help, and that led to the higher grades, or whether teachers ... simply favor attractive faces more," according to Time.

Additionally, there does not seem to be a difference in the grades of average looking and unattractive students. 

While a briefing on the study states that unattractive students may have "poorer mental health and fewer friends because of below average looks," they were also "less likely to be sexually active or involved in the heavy drinking party scene" — which, Times notes, may give them more time to study. 

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