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Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Two Can Play At This Game: Samsung Wants To See Apple's Next Gen iPhones & iPads
Last week, we noted that Apple had successfully convinced a court that Samsung should be forced to hand over unreleased prototypes of its new phones and tablet computers as part of its patent dispute with Samsung. In response, Samsung (which filed countersuits over other patents) is demanding Apple hand over its next generation iPhones and iPads to Samsung. The whole thing is getting pretty childish, which is basically what happens in patent disputes of this nature. Why can't these two companies just focus on competing in the marketplace, and letting the best company win based on who's buying what?
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Photos Are Great, But Will They Help Twitter Make Money?
Twitter is expected to offer a photo-sharing feature soon, something that seems so obvious it should have been added a long time ago. While this will spark renewed concerns about Twitter bulldozing its ecosystem, the big question is whether it will help Twitter monetize its network.
Gmail Contacts auto-save can now be disabled plus myriad of small updates
Gmail will also now point out any incorrectly entered email addresses visually, rather than simply telling you something was wrong. This will be handy for anyone addressing emails to a long list of recipients, as it'll be a lot easier to spot the typo. A few of Gmail's error messages have also migrated from pop-ups to in-window messages that allow you to action things more easily, while still getting on with the task in hand. Gmail will also now send you back to the message you were looking at if you happen to create a filter for 'messages like these,' a nice tweak that should save you some time.
If you're into your keyboard shortcuts, Gmail now has one turned on by default and that's the shortcut help key. Hit 'shift' and '?' together and you'll be presented with an overlay detailing all the keyboard shortcuts available to boost your productivity. Last but not least, the 'refresh' link is now a button on to match the rest of the buttons on the toolbar. Consistency in UI is important for a decent user experience, and now Gmail conforms just a little bit more.
To check out these little changes, all you have to do is head to your Gmail and have a look around the UI. Many people rely daily on Gmail in the browser, and these small, but important changes, can make the difference between a slick and productive experience, and a sluggish and frustrating one.
Gmail Contacts auto-save can now be disabled plus myriad of small updates originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Office 365: How do I change my account password?
One of the disadvantages of web services such as Office 365 over a desktop applications is that passwords are easier to obtain. By logging in from multiple different areas and over less secure networks, users put their accounts at greater risks. One of the easy ways to combat this is to frequently change your [...] 
Cell phone radiation: Harmless or health risk?
special report Despite years of research, there's little consensus on whether you should be worried about your well-being. CNET explains why experts looking at the same data have completely different conclusions.
Finally, a real scientific controversy: arsenic in DNA
We spend so much time discussing manufactured controversies about science that it's a bit refreshing to be able to report on a real one. And one has been brewing since late last year, when Science released a report that suggested that researchers had forced bacteria to evolve to the point where they no longer simply tolerated arsenic, but incorporated it into their DNA. The publication quickly attracted criticism on a few blogs that were written by scientists, leading mainstream reporters to dig into matters. Now, the scientific community is having its say in the pages of Science, with eight separate technical comments on the work.
We covered the publication when it was first released, describing the major claims of the authors. They had isolated bacteria from an environment (California's Mono Lake) that is naturally high in arsenic, and then grew them in the lab, gradually raising the levels of arsenic while dropping those of its close relative, phosphorous, which is a component of DNA. After sufficient selection, they tested the surviving bacteria, and found some evidence that indicated arsenic may have been used in place of phosphorous in DNA.
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Algorithm turns 8-bit pixel art into smooooth 'toons
Classic video games have already gotten their fair share of attention over time in various forms, with successive revivals on PCs, web-based Flash sites, consoles, smartphones, tablets, and all the rest. The emulated and re-made versions sometimes even surpass the originals. Still, nothing I've seen yet has prepared...
Nvidia intros two new mobile GeForces
As Computex kicks into gear, Nvidia has added two new mobile graphics processors to its GeForce 500M family: the GeForce GTX 560M and GeForce GT 520MX. The former is a relatively high-end offering targeted at gaming notebooks—Nvidia pimps it with the tagline, "50 frames per second in Duke Nukem Forever...
Monday, 30 May 2011
Genetic Barcode Scanners a Solution to the Mislabeling of Our Food?
According to a number of studies performed recently in Canada and the United States, a significant amount of the fish we consume is actually mislabelled. The study performed by CBC's Marketplace found that 1 in 5 fish in Canada is mislabelled.
Some examples of mislabeling in Canada include: farmed [...]
Some examples of mislabeling in Canada include: farmed [...]
ASUS announces the Padfone (update: eyes-on!)
Update: And now we have more pics of Jonney Shih showing off the Padfone, along with the press release and ASUS' promo video after the break. Enjoy!
Update 2: Our buds at Netbooknews caught Jonney Shih's unveiling of the Padfone live on video. Watch with wide-eyed wonderment after the break. How you like them magics, Apple?
Continue reading ASUS announces the Padfone (update: eyes-on!)
ASUS announces the Padfone (update: eyes-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 04:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsMicrosoft Office 2011 SP1 for Mac arriving next week with Outlook improvements
SP1 will also address Outlook's syncing support, with the BU adding calendar support for Sync Services allowing you to finally sync Outlook calendars with iCal and other local calendars, as well as syncing iDevices hooked up through iTunes. For Office 2008 upgraders, this was one of the features removed in the Entourage to Outlook switch, so it's nice to see it finally make an appearance in Outlook. The irony here is that Outlook will no longer be able to sync with your MobileMe calendar when it's upgraded to the new version on the 5th of May, or before if you've jumped the gun early, as Apple has removed Sync Services support from MobileMe by turning to CalDAV. Nothing to do with Microsoft here of course, and it shouldn't be long before something gets worked out.
Outlook has also been bestowed with the ability to edit server-side Exchange rules, something our friends at TUAW pointed out, have been missing on the Mac since Office 2001 for Mac OS 9. The email Redirect and Resend buttons have also made an appearance, allowing you to send mail onto the intended recipient without being caught in the email chain for replies. Excel also gets some love from SP1 with improved Solver integration support, which should be handy for those attempting to use equations in Excel.
Look to Microsoft Autoupdate on your Mac starting next week, or visit the Microsoft Mac download center to update manually once it becomes available.
Microsoft Office 2011 SP1 for Mac arriving next week with Outlook improvements originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)
Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the Dell XPS 15z laptop, the Motorola Droid X2, the Asus Eee Slate EP121, and more.
Users Say They?re More Likely To Buy If A Business Answers Their Question On Twitter
Currently I am not in Cancun. The reason I am not in Cancun is out of my control (an over three hour Virgin delay on the tarmac at JFK caused me to miss my connecting USAirways flight at SFO). I spent a good part of those three plus plane-trapped hours bitching on Twitter, asking both the @VirginAmerica and @USAirways Twitter accounts for guidance, because calling their respective 800 numbers either put me on hold or wouldn't go through.
Sony's New Portable Gaming Console Rumoured To Be Named PS Vita
Sony is rumoured to have named its upcoming next generation portable (NGP) hand-held gaming device ‘Vita’, which means ‘Life’ in Latin.
GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X
The best way to check out GNOME 3's new features -- and it has lots of new features -- is to run a live version of openSUSE or Fedora, or simply head over to the GNOME 3 website and watch the (rather pretty) introductory videos. If you want a synopsis, though, here it is: GNOME 3 looks a lot like Mac OS X, with a healthy dollop of iOSesqueness for good measure, but yet it still somehow retains an underlying feel of Linux.
The overall aesthetic is very simple, very elegant, and despite being slightly out of fashion, there are plenty of rounded corners, too. The main addition, workflow-wise, is the addition of an app-launcher-cum-alt-tab screen, where you can launch apps, or flip through your open windows. For a complete list of the new features and changes, check the GNOME 3 release notes.
Despite GNOME 3 being officially launched, there aren't actually any releases for existing, stable Linux distros -- it's the live CD/USB images, or Ubuntu users will have to wait for the launch of 11.04 for a GNOME 3 PPA, but it will break Unity in the process. Fedora users will have to wait for for the May 24 release of Fedora 15. Of course, if you're feeling crazy, you can always build GNOME 3 from source.
GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
This is the ASUS PadFone
Continue reading This is the ASUS PadFone
This is the ASUS PadFone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Keith Rabois: Square Will Be Way More Valuable Than PayPal
Even with the rising competition from heavyweights Google and PayPal, Square isn't sweating the added competition. I talked Square COO Keith Rabois about the increasingly busy mobile payments space, how Square will fare over time and the challenges facing both Google and PayPal.
Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads
The most notable new feature is support for the Amazon MP3 store -- you can buy and download music from within Banshee -- but unfortunately it's only available in the Linux build at the moment (OS X and Windows support are planned, however). There have also been some significant improvements to artist, album, and queue interactions -- and yes, you can finally right click a track, album or artist and select 'play after' to insert it into the queue.
Beyond actual playback, the user interface has been tidied up -- it now looks a whole lot smarter -- and the Ubuntu One Music Store and SoundMenu extensions have been made official. For a complete list of changes, additions and bug fixes, check the change log.
When Windows support initially appeared in February, we found it rough around the edges and fraught with stability issues. With version 2, Banshee for Windows is still a bit unstable, but it's shaping up to be a good alternative to Winamp, iTunes, or whatever other music library manager you use. It's almost as attractive as its GNOMEish brother, too!
Download Banshee 2 for Linux and Windows (Mac OS X coming soon)
Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Take that, content. APIs get own delivery network
Apigee on the edge
Apigee ? a company dedicated to improving the use of APIs across the interwebs ? has unveiled an API delivery network designed to grease API calls in much the same way a CDN smooths the transfer of images and other net content.?
Apple's Deals May Transform Digital Music
The company's plan for "digital lockers" is winning over the major music labels
Chocomize personalized chocolate: giveaway and discount code
We've covered Chocomize before in our holiday gift guide, so when they reached out to us offering to do a giveaway, we really couldn't resist.
Chocomize is giving away ten gift certificates, each worth $50, for you to create your own customized chocolate. They sent us some pictures of their recent creations, which you can find in the gallery below.
Regardless of the giveaway, you can use the discount code switched to get 10% off any Chocomize order. The code is valid through April 20th - just in time for Easter!
To participate, simply leave a comment. Fine print is after the jump.
Continue reading Chocomize personalized chocolate: giveaway and discount code
Chocomize personalized chocolate: giveaway and discount code originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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