Are Gadgets Appropriate Valentine's Day Gifts?

Flowers, chocolates, and... a Kindle Fire? One of these things is not like the other. You aim for creativity with your Valentine's Day presents, but are gadgets kosher gifts to give? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vNlvDYwuBJ8/are-gadgets-appropriate-valentines-day-gifts

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Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday

windows phone 7
Happy first birthday, Windows Phone 7! One year on, and the fledgling mobile operating system has 36,000 active developers in its AppHub community, 1.5 million downloads of its Developer Tools, and 11,500 apps in its Marketplace.

Microsoft is quick to take a couple shots at competitors' app stores, beating its chest about not re-counting tanslations of an app or "lite" apps, "increasing tonnage" by supporting apps from other mobile platforms, and not listing wallpapers as a category.

That's all fine and dandy, but we spend a lot of time sifting through WP7 app feeds -- and we're still not seeing a lot of awesome apps on the platform. We think a few marquee apps would've made a pretty nice first birthday present -- along with a much smoother update process for WP7 users.

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/microsoft-trumpets-windows-phone-7-numbers-on-first-birthday/

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Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game

sticks
Sticks is another one of those rare games where the intro is actually worth watching. It introduces you to office worker Bob, who is basically a wage slave fantasizing about a better existence.

Then, on his way back home from another grueling day at the office, he passes a huge sign which says "Sticks." This is where the game starts.

Each level has a number of coins hovering in mid-air, and your goal is to place sticks that lead those coins to Bob -- but you only have a limited amount of wood to play with. As soon as you're done placing your sticks strategically, hit the big Play button and let nature, or rather gravity, run its course. The coins will drop down, and if you place your sticks correctly, they will roll all the way to Bob.

The soundtrack is soothing and playful, and didn't get on my nerves even after playing for quite a while. All in all, a very cute game, especially for a day at the office.

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/18/help-bob-make-money-in-sticks-a-fun-physics-game/

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Apple iWatch rumors get wound up again

Apple iWatch rumors get wound up again

An Apple iWatch is back in the rumor mill today, running deep with Dick Tracy nostalgia, Bond envy, and wearable future fancy. Since we have the iPhone and the iPad, and nothing Apple has already made is ever good enough, it's only ever what's next that matters, and when that's not an iTV, it's this. Preamble done, here's Nick Bilton from the New York Times:

In its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Apple is experimenting with wristwatch-like devices made of curved glass, according to people familiar with the company?s explorations, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they are not allowed to publicly discuss unreleased products. Such a watch would operate Apple?s iOS platform, two people said, and stand apart from competitors based on the company?s understanding of how such glass can curve around the human body.

Mobile payments, proximity logins, notification projection, Siri integration, the dream list goes on and on.

It's not remotely outlandish to imagine Apple is considering just such a device in their labs. If Apple is ever to release an iWatch, beyond an Apple TV-like hobby, it would have to:

  1. Make them money, i.e., sell tons of units at margin
  2. Disrupt an existing industry and provide high value to Apple customers.
  3. Increase the overall attraction of Apple's ecosystem.

iOS on a 1.5-inch screen would be interesting, but would it be interesting and far along enough for Apple to bring it to market this year?

Source: New York Times

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/2dqPZmhmobw/story01.htm

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Turning Up The Heat And Cooling Down The Planet, Hot Hotels To Carbon Offset All Last Minute Hotel Bookings

hot_ss_allcotIn a move that puts a little heat on HotelTonight and the raft of other last-minute-hotel-booking apps, as well as possibly helping to cool down the planet, Hot Hotels is to offset the carbon emissions associated with each hotel stay booked through its platform, free of charge to the user. Instead of passing on the cost directly, the Spanish startup is soaking up the expense of buying so-called 'carbon credits' out of the commission it already receives from the hotels whose empty rooms it helps sell.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/30/hot-hotels/

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New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

Having the right programs and hardware to keep the information on your display safe from prying eyes is never a bad idea, and new software from Oculis Labs offers a very interesting take on how to do just that. It's called PrivateEye, and it utilizes facial recognition to automatically pixelate the contents of your display when you look away.

If you step away from your system and someone else decides to sit down and poke around, PrivateEye will present a confusing jumble of garbled text. It'll even notify you if someone tries to peek over your shoulder -- and display a picture of your peeping Tom, throw up an alert, or sound an alarm.

Check out the video embed after the break, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Continue reading New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/new-software-uses-facial-recognition-to-defend-against-prying-ey/

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Linux Netbooks: Hiding in Plain Sight

You just think that's a Chromebook beckoning you with an open source OS, easier upgradeability and fast connections to the cloud. All those qualities could make it a Linux netbook in disguise -- or at least what the netbooks of a few years ago promised before they all started selling preloaded with Windows. The key? More manufacturers buying into the flexibility of the Linux kernel in the Chrome OS.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/2840d10a/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C772320Bhtml/story01.htm

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Napkin Takes Visual Editing to a Higher Level

Aside from their intended purposes, napkins have been known to be used for such things as jotting down the next big idea at business lunches. It's that unintended purpose that inspired the folks at Aged and Distilled software to create their markup app called "Napkin." Napkin gives you a set of professional tools for visually editing content.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/2840d108/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C772340Bhtml/story01.htm

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