drag2share: Lenovo's latest budget Android tablets focus on high-quality audio

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/01/lenovo-tab-a-series-tablets/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

If Samsung's new Galaxy Tabs aren't your cup of tea, Lenovo may have the budget tablets you're looking for. It just unveiled four entry-level Android slates that expand on the sound quality focus we saw in last year's models. The Tab A7-30, A7-50, A8 and A10 all have Dolby audio that should improve your small-screen movie experience. They also have "responsive" (if unnamed) quad-core processors, too. You're mostly choosing devices based on screen sizes. The A7-30 has a basic 7-inch display and optional cellular support, while the A7-50 jumps to HD and throws in a 2-megapixel front camera; move to the A8 and you'll get an 8-inch panel, while the A10 includes (you guessed it) a 10-inch display. Lenovo plans to ship the new Tab A-series worldwide in the second quarter of the year, with UK prices ranging from a frugal £100 ($166) for an A7-30 to a still quite affordable £170 ($283) for an A10. There's no mention of a US launch for the new A-series so far, but we've reached out for more details. We'll let you know if these starter tablets reach American shores.

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drag2share: Amazon delivery lockers now also accept returns

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/02/amazon-locker-returns/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

You're not the only one who's ever bought silly things from Amazon while drunk. Good thing Amazon has several return methods, the newest of which lets you send back that banana slicer through the company's strategically placed delivery lockers. According to The Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce giant will now let you return duds that way, so long as you get a drop-off code from its Online Returns Center first. You'll need that code to open a cabinet on the locker, where you can stick in a box (up to12x12x12 inches in size) that holds and conceals your embarrassing purchase.

The WSJ says this move could save Amazon some serious cash, as up to a third of online purchases are usually returned and shipping's one of the company's biggest expenses. After all, carriers can retrieve items and deliver new orders at the same time whenever they visit a location. Unfortunately for customers, Amazon charges the same amount for locker returns as it does for UPS drop offs. We imagine it's still a welcome development for folks who live or work near one of those lockers, though -- whatever makes it more convenient to send back that Borat mankini, right?

Filed under: Misc, Amazon

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drag2share: Samsung's Smart Home service ready to control new wave of TVs and appliances

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/02/samsung-smart-home-app-service-ready/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Samsung has just taken a big step in its home automation plans by launching its Smart Home service in the US and Korea. That means you can now download an Android app that, in conjunction with Samsung's cloud service, will give you control over certain (crazy expensive) Samsung smart appliances. In the US, those include Samsung's T9000 Smart French Door refrigerator, the WF457 smart front loading washing machine, all 2014 Smart TVs and, later in the year, the Smart Bulb, Gear Fit and Smart Ovens. On top of an app for any Android 4.0 or later device, a Tizen app will soon arrive to Samsung's Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch, as well. Once all that's installed and connected, you'll be able to fully contr! ol a was h cycle, check the temperature of the fridge or even say "good night" to the TV remote to shut down all connected devices. Samsung has promised that all of this is encrypted and secure, so let's hope that's the case -- all this is just the beginning of its "grand plan" to enhance your home.

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drag2share: People Use This App To Chat With Each Other Through A Hidden Feature In Apple's Software

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/firechat-app-uses-hidden-ios-7-feature-2014-4

FireChat — a new anonymous messaging app that has been download more than 100,000 times since it launched — uses one of the coolest features we've seen so far for people to talk to each other.

The app harnesses a feature in Apple's mobile software, iOS 7, called a Multipeer Connectivity Framework. This is found on all Apple devices and enables a direct connection to other devices over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi without the need of an Internet connection to act as an intermediary.

FireChat is a hybrid of Snapchat and Whisper: the app lets you send anonymous messages to a chat room filled with random people, but the messages are not stored anywhere and are quickly deleted when you close the app.

Anonymous chatting apps are big right now, even though some people think they might just be a fad. But more than just an anonymous chatting app, FireChat is actually a new way to chat, where people can connect regardless of whether they're connected to the Internet or cell service.

The app could come in handy if you're at a crowded concert where lines of communication are typically clogged. FireChat would let you quickly share photos and comments with the people around you without interference.

FireChat is an interesting app, but it's far from perfect. For now, the app is only available for iOS, but you can see what it looks like below:

The set up process is really easy. All you need to do is create a username. It can literally be anything.

The app barely provides a demo. After you finish the setup process, you're immediately thrown into a chat room titled "Everyone." CNET writes that this part of the app randomly organizes 80 people from around the country into one room. The conversation moves fast, and you can literally talk about anything. The downside is you still need some form of data connection for it to work.

Swipe over to the right to go into another chat room called "Nearby." This part of FireChat is supposed to enable more-personal conversations but only works within certain distances. If other people are on the app within around 100 feet, you can quickly jump into the room and start talking.

SEE ALSO: If you're bored of regular TV, use this app to find something new to watch online

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drag2share: These Adorable Penguins Can Show You How Skype Is Trying To Revolutionize The Classroom

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/skype-in-the-classroom-2014-4

Since Skype launched its education initiative, Skype in the Classroom, nearly three years ago, the community has really taken off. 

To date, the program has helped more than 80,000 teachers in 235 countries collaborate on more than 8,000 lessons taught over Skype. 

Teachers create profiles that list things like where they're located, the ages of their students, and the subjects they teach. Meanwhile, Skype has partnered with organizations like NASA, Penguin Books, SeaTrek.org, and Microsoft, who post upcoming Skype lessons for teachers to enroll in so they may take their students on free, virtual field trips.

With Earth Day on the horizon, Skype shared an adorable video of a class of UK students getting an interactive lesson about endangered penguins from Rifqah Taliep of The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

The video encompasses the initiatives goal: To use technology to give students amazing, immersive educational experiences that they couldn't get from reading a textbook or watching a film. Instead of reading about endangered penguins, they can see them, while asking an expert questions, live. 

 

Without stepping outside the classroom, the students learn about real-world wildlife rehabilitation.

The idea is that learning about something by actually seeing and interacting with it, makes the topic more exciting and memorable for the students.

By registering for the Skype in the classroom community, teachers receive free Skype Group Video Calling for 12 months as a spec! ial bene fit of the program. 

Watch the full video here:

SEE ALSO: Oprah wants you to put down your smartphone and just say hello to someone instead

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