Monday, January 31, 2011

Facebook Has Been Refining Their Troll-Slaying Comment System For Months; Finally Ready To Roll?

Back in October of last year, news started to trickle out that Facebook was completely revamping their commenting system plugin. The very thought had to send a chill down the spine of commenting startups like Disqus, Echo, and Livefyre. In a statement to us at the time, Facebook confirmed the upgrades, and vaguely said, "we'll have more to share in the coming weeks." Well, weeks turned to months ? nothing. But that may be about to change. Facebook is on the verge of launching a full commenting system for third-party sites, CNET's Caroline McCarthy reports today. She cites multiple sources who claim the product should be ready to roll out in a matter of weeks. And apparently it could be implemented at launch on a number of high-profile sites (no, not us ? unless AOL has us totally out of the loop on this one).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3Cuwd_K4Q_Q/

OSI SYSTEMS ORACLE OPENWAVE SYSTEMS

Slash Boom is a fun, easy physics time waster

slashboom
Slash Boom is one of the easier time-wasters I've played recently, but I still enjoyed it. The rules are very simple: Your goal is to blow most of the structure off the screen. At each level, you get two "slashes" and one "boom". The "slashes" are click-and-drag motions you make across the structure, which cut it. Once you've placed two strategic cuts, it's time for the "boom": simply click anywhere on the screen to strategically detonate a bomb.

You can either click on the structure itself or next to it; if you placed your "slashes" strategically enough and picked a good spot for the bomb, a significant chunk of the structure will fly off the screen.

You will probably fly through the first few levels, but then the shapes become a bit more complex, and the game gets harder. I like it that they made the game harder by making more "difficult" shapes, rather than just making them larger (and thus more difficult to explode off the screen).

Bottom line: It's a quick, fun brain-teaser.

Slash Boom is a fun, easy physics time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/20/slash-boom-is-a-fun-easy-physics-time-waster/

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS NOVELLUS SYSTEMS NOVELL

iPad 2 News ? Apple Calls On More Suppliers

Last April when Apple released the original iPad to the market you had to wait in line in some cases to get your hands on the exciting new tablet device. Many orders were put on hold and some countries even had to wait for the iPad to become available. This April, when the dazzling new [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/R5QVmSMfy14/

MICROS SYSTEMS MICRON TECHNOLOGY MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY

Google adds 35 more Web fonts to Blogger

Web fonts have been available to Blogger users since late last year, when Google introduced 32 ready-to-use typefaces to spice up your blog's design. Now, Google has more than doubled that number -- bringing the total to a whopping 77 fonts, all of which render nicely in just about any Web browser. No, they don't work in IE6.

You'll find the new fonts in the Blogger Template Designer behind the advanced tab. Choose a font, and Blogger will give you a preview to help you decide whether or not you want to make the switch. The full list of available fonts is posted here, and you can also browse them in the Google Font Directory.

Google adds 35 more Web fonts to Blogger originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/21/google-adds-35-more-web-fonts-to-blogger/

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LibreOffice 3.3, the open source office suite, now available

LibreOffice -- the Document Foundation's fork of OpenOffice -- has come a long way since the project was first announced in September 2010. Today, the Foundation has announced that its first stable release, LibreOffice 3.3, is ready to download.

Among the many changes you'll find in version 3.3 are the arrival of new import filters and improvements to existing ones -- key features when you're trying to persuade users to migrate from competing suites like Microsoft Office, Works, or WordPerfect. Calc (the LibreOffice spreadsheet app) now boasts better Excel interoperability, SVG images can be opened and modified in Draw, and they can also be imported into Writer.

The Suite's PowerPoint alternative -- Presenter -- now ships with a presentation mode plug-in which makes controlling slideshows from your laptop a breeze. Testers will enjoy the addition of Experimental Mode, which you can toggle if you'd like to play with new features before they've officially been added to LibreOffice. It's a bit like the about:flags page in Google Chrome. LibreOffice 3.3 also sports a long list of interface and usability tweaks -- check out this page at the official site for a complete rundown.

Download LibreOffice 3.3 for Windows, Mac, or Linux

LibreOffice 3.3, the open source office suite, now available originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/25/libreoffice-3-3-the-open-source-office-suite-now-available/

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Samsung adds Lovefilm streaming to UK Blu-ray players

Lovefilm, the closest thing Europe has to an answer to Netflix, was recently swallowed whole by the Amazon juggernaut, but that doesn't seem to have stunted its progress toward ubiquitous availability. Samsung has just announced its intent to include Lovefilm movie streaming as an app on all of its Blu-ray players in the UK, enhancing both the subscription service's profile and its own claim to providing the user with multifunctional, "smart" technology. It's disappointing not to see this rollout effective across all of Lovefilm's European markets, but we guess small steps are better than no steps.

Continue reading Samsung adds Lovefilm streaming to UK Blu-ray players

Samsung adds Lovefilm streaming to UK Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/samsung-adds-lovefilm-streaming-to-uk-blu-ray-players/

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The Engadget Show Live! with Steve Wozniak

Humans, keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 6:00PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, joining us for a evening of frank, eye-opening and all-around awesome conversation. There'll be mind-blowing devices, crazy giveaways, and much, much more! We've even got music from Zen Albatross. You seriously don't want to miss it.

Update: That's all for now!

Continue reading The Engadget Show Live! with Steve Wozniak

The Engadget Show Live! with Steve Wozniak originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/5XPEPGLNxM8/

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How to share files using a homegroup on Windows 7

This week we're running a series of posts that tackle common Windows networking issues, and some tips and tricks that might speed up or improve your network stability. You can find more tech tips in our Tips index.

One slick new feature Windows 7 introduced was the homegroup, a simple yet powerful way to share files and printers among users on your home network. If you created a homegroup during the Windows 7 setup process, you can simply right click any folder and choose share with and then grant read-only access (which lets other view and play files) or read-write access (which lets them edit, delete, and add new files).

If you haven't created a homegroup already, it's easy enough to do. Before you start, head to the Network and Sharing Center (hit the Windows key, type sharing, then hit enter). Beneath your active networks, check your current network type. If it's not Home network, click the text (which should say Work or Public) to switch. Only computers on a Home network can join a homegroup -- makes sense, right?

Once you make this change, Windows will search your network for an existing group and ask you to join if it finds one. If not, you'll be asked to create a new one. Choose what kinds of files you want to share, and make sure you jot down the random password Windows creates -- or set your own, more-memorable password.

On your other computers, you only need to join your homegroup. Click the Windows key and type homegroup, then press enter. Windows will detect your homegroup, and you can click the Join now button to connect. Set your sharing options and click next, then enter your password. Now you can right-click and share folders on your other computers as well!

Can't remember your homegroup password? Open the homegroup screen on your other computer(s) and click the link at the bottom of the window to view or print the homegroup password. Once you've entered it on the new system, Windows will begin scanning your network for homegroup-accessible libraries, folders, and printers.

Continue reading How to share files using a homegroup on Windows 7

How to share files using a homegroup on Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/19/how-to-share-files-using-a-homegroup-on-windows-7/

SPANSION SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE

Sunday, January 30, 2011

TiPb TV 15: Is Apple TV worth it?

TiPb TV 15: Is Apple TV worth it? Is the new Apple TV worth $99? Now that it has reached that magic price point it’s a question we’re being asked more frequently than ever. Being part of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad iOS family means it just works with the devices you already have but being part of Apple means it doesn’t [...]

TiPb TV 15: Is Apple TV worth it? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/63IdvkjL-X4/

SILICON LABORATORIES SI INTERNATIONAL SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY

CorelDRAW video tutorial: Make a Polaroid-like image in five minutes

CorelDRAW
When most people hear the words "vector graphics", the first thing that comes to mind is Adobe Illustrator. While Illustrator is a wonderful application, it's certainly not the only game in town: I've been using CorelDRAW for several years now, and I just love it.

I'm not a graphics pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I do need to turn out a few pretty pixels here and there for my day job. If you're just thinking about getting into vector graphics, or if you've tried Illustrator and it proved too daunting, CorelDRAW might be just what you need.

Rather than just talk about CorelDRAW or write a tutorial, I figured it would be best to show it off in a short video. I took an image of my awesome cat, Ivan, and made it into a Polaroid-like snapshot. It took me less than five minutes, without any templates or saved settings. To see how I did it, hit Play after the fold.

By the way, this is the first of four CorelDRAW tutorials to be published in the next few weeks. If you'd like to see specific aspects of CorelDRAW in action, feel free to let me know in the comments!

Continue reading CorelDRAW video tutorial: Make a Polaroid-like image in five minutes

CorelDRAW video tutorial: Make a Polaroid-like image in five minutes originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/18/coreldraw-video-tutorial-make-a-polaroid-like-image-in-five-minutes/

NIKON NINTENDO NOKIA

Silhouetter Turns Your Photos into iPod Ads

Oddly, the Silhouetter app for the iPad and iPhone doesn’t mention its “inspiration” anywhere in its description. But then, it doesn’t really need to, so obvious is the “homage” to the iconic iPod ads.
That said, the app is actually pretty cool in a single-serve kind of way. You choose a photo from your camera-roll, pinch [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/silhouetter-turns-your-photos-into-ipod-ads/

OPENWAVE SYSTEMS ON SEMICONDUCTOR NVIDIA

LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at ?499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy

Amazon's German outlet has started listing LG's two latest and undoubtedly greatest phones: the Optimus 2X (seemingly renamed the Optimus Speed here) and the Optimus Black. Both run Android 2.2 on 4-inch screens, with the former offering a dual-core Tegra 2 processor capable of 1080p video recording and HDMI output, and the latter cranking up the display brightness to a quite unreasonable 700 nits. The Optimus Black also has one of the thinnest profiles on a smartphone of its class at 9.2mm, and will be one of the first phones to offer WiFi Direct connectivity. Intriguingly, Amazon's Optimus Speed / 2X listing also shows a brown color option for the handset, though only its black SKU is subject to a neat €50 discount bringing its price to €499, the same as the cost of the Optimus Black. We don't know when either one will drop, but you can go and reserve yourself one (or a dozen) at the links below.

[Thanks, Julian]

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at ?499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy

LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at ?499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/EhrMwGBmOdI/

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Twelve South's BookArc for Air stand cozies up around your MacBook Air

Twelve South's made somewhat of a name for itself by crafting unexpected (and generally visually pleasing) accessories for everything Apple, but the ouftit's latest just seems particularly superfluous. The BookAir for Air is described as a vertical stand for the MacBook Air, enabling you to hoist your new ultraportable upright for use with a desktop monitor and keyboard. 'Course, we have to believe that only a smattering of individuals have any real interest in using their MBA as a desktop replacement, but hey, at least there's now a stand should you fit into that category. She'll be on sale soon for $39.99, with initial shipments to head out next month.

Continue reading Twelve South's BookArc for Air stand cozies up around your MacBook Air

Twelve South's BookArc for Air stand cozies up around your MacBook Air originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/twelve-souths-bookarc-for-air-stand-cozies-up-around-your-macbo/

VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC

Powis iCase iPad Book Style Leather Case Review

I love digital devices, but I can still appreciate the feel of a nicely bound book in my hand. How about we combine an iPad and a nice leather bound book into one device? We can with the iCase from Powis. Powis has 15 different leather book style iPad cases and even more non-leather cases [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/01/26/powis-icase-ipad-book-style-leather-case-review/

SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY SCIENTIFIC GAMES SANDISK

Virgin Mobile Finally Getting Another Android Phone

Finally! Not that there’s a huge population of Virgin Mobile Android Users, but maybe there would be if more desirable phones were available. If you weren’t a big fan of the Samsung Intercept, soon you may get a chance to try out the LG Optimus V. Rumor has it, the price is only $150.00 ($100.00 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/01/29/virgin-mobile-finally-getting-another-android-phone/

GOOGLE GOOGLE FORMFACTOR

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio T750 laptop has a lid that changes color on both sides

Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio T750 laptop has a display that changes color on both sides
It's been a long time since we used a laptop that had a monochromatic display -- it was a giant white block of a thing that is not missed -- but flip around just about every laptop we use today and you find a backside that stubbornly refuses to change color no matter the light that hits it. Is that a problem? Not really, we think it's quite fine since we're not often staring at that bit, but for Toshiba such tedium simply won't do, so it's introducing the Dynabook Qosmio T750 with a color-shifting lid. Turn it in the light and it shifts and shimmers, just like the chameleon paint tuners have been using on custom rides for decades. Here, though, we're told it's done with multiple layers of film, no paint at all. Oh, the inside? A 2.66GHz Intel Core i5-480M, 4GB of DDR 3 memory, and a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display that's LED backlit -- which is also capable of displaying multiple colors, in case you're interested.

Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio T750 laptop has a lid that changes color on both sides originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/G4qZ0o5m4lc/

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Balance is a challenging physics Time Waster

balance
Balance is a very simple game that manages to be surprisingly engaging.

All you have to do is just balance the stick on your virtual finger. I call it a "stick" for lack of a better name, but it seems to be a rudimentary 2D representation of a rotating plate, or a platform with a weight on it. You use your mouse to move your hand and you just have to keep moving it in the right direction so the stick doesn't lose its balance.

There are no real levels in this game - by that I mean that you never get to rest when a level is over and then start again all fresh and alert. When you manage to balance the stick for around 10 seconds (I tried counting, there's no indicator I could see), you simply level up. Every time you level up, the stick gets a tad shorter, and your task gets a bit harder. It seems like a really simple game at first, but when the stick gets really short, it starts to get pretty challenging. I managed to get up to level 10, so I'm not sure what happens when the stick runs out. Maybe you win, or maybe you just get a new stick, far superior to the one you started out with (tell me in the comments).

Another thing I liked about this game is the fact you can easily play it with your trackpad. Up until recently I was using the trackpad on my laptop exclusively, and it's nice to have a game that doesn't give an advantage to people who have a real mouse. It was even a bit easier with the trackpad!

All in all, a lovely way to distract yourself for a few minutes. You can fantasize about being a juggler in the circus while you play (not that I did, of course).

Balance is a challenging physics Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/05/balance-is-a-challenging-physics-time-waster/

AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL

Verizon turns on iPhone 4 pre-order countdown, existing customers can order on February 3rd at 3AM

The grapevine did already hint at the timing of the Verizon iPhone 4 pre-orders, but now, to be absolutely sure nobody misses them, we have a countdown! Eager iPhone bandwagon jumpers will have to stay up till 3AM EST on February 3rd to get their orders in from a "reserved quantity" of handsets, which will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis -- presumably to be delivered on that February 10th launch date everyone's been anticipating for so long. Sadly for Verizon newcomers, a contract with the network will be a prerequisite for signing up when the countdown expires.

[Thanks, Jarrett and Anthony]

Continue reading Verizon turns on iPhone 4 pre-order countdown, existing customers can order on February 3rd at 3AM

Verizon turns on iPhone 4 pre-order countdown, existing customers can order on February 3rd at 3AM originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVerizon Wireless  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/verizon-turns-on-iphone-4-pre-order-countdown-existing-customer/

IMS HEALTH IMATION IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS

Daily Crunch: Harsh Martian Edition

Weekend Contest: Win A Bulletproof IoSafe Hard Drive Mars 500 Simulation Wrapping Up, Will Soon ?Land? On The Red Planet Build Your Own Heli-Rocket For $5 Will Planet Earth Have ?Two Suns? By 2012? Duke Nukem Forever: May 3

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/01/22/daily-crunch-harsh-martian/

OSI SYSTEMS ORACLE OPENWAVE SYSTEMS

iPhone Car Charger with Gesture Control

Monster cable has taken enough time off from suing people to come up with yet another new cable. The Monster iMotion CarPlay 3000 might sound like a made-up product from Mad magazine, but it is in fact a car charger for your iPhone or iPad – with a twist: it lets you control the music [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/iphone-car-charger-with-gesture-control/

TECHNITROL TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL

New Angry Birds game coming in March

RovioMobile have announced the next version of their hit game Angry Birds, coming to the App Store in March.�The new game will not be a true sequel, but will be a licensed game based on the tie in with 20th Century Fox’s upcoming animated film Rio. So far all they’ve done is post a YouTube trailer [...]

New Angry Birds game coming in March is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/SjtwvicyfZ4/

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Slash Boom is a fun, easy physics time waster

slashboom
Slash Boom is one of the easier time-wasters I've played recently, but I still enjoyed it. The rules are very simple: Your goal is to blow most of the structure off the screen. At each level, you get two "slashes" and one "boom". The "slashes" are click-and-drag motions you make across the structure, which cut it. Once you've placed two strategic cuts, it's time for the "boom": simply click anywhere on the screen to strategically detonate a bomb.

You can either click on the structure itself or next to it; if you placed your "slashes" strategically enough and picked a good spot for the bomb, a significant chunk of the structure will fly off the screen.

You will probably fly through the first few levels, but then the shapes become a bit more complex, and the game gets harder. I like it that they made the game harder by making more "difficult" shapes, rather than just making them larger (and thus more difficult to explode off the screen).

Bottom line: It's a quick, fun brain-teaser.

Slash Boom is a fun, easy physics time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/20/slash-boom-is-a-fun-easy-physics-time-waster/

PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

$91 Worth of Rubber Bands From One Recycled Inner-Tube

Let’s say that each of these Plattfuss Rubber Bands, made from old bike inner-tubes, is 2mm wide. You get around 70 in a pack, which requires 140mm (5.5-inches) of OG bike tube to make them. The sizes in the pack are assorted, from different tube sizes, but to keep things simple let’s assume they come [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/91-worth-of-rubber-bands-from-one-recycled-inner-tube/

FIRST SOLAR FINISAR FEI COMPANY

Friday, January 28, 2011

Win a free Motorola Xoom tablet from Android Central and Wyse Technology

Only three days left to enter to win a Motorola Xoom!

Motorola Xoom

The Motorola Xoom is looking to be the Android tablet to beat so far -- check out of first look at CES. And if the rumors are correct, it could well be launched in the next few weeks on Verizon.

And that means it's time to give one away. We're teaming up with Wyse Technology, developer of the Pocket Cloud app, to deliver one unactivated -- and free -- Motorola Xoom tablet, running the Honeycomb version of Android. Hit the break for the full details and instructions on how to enter.

Win a free Motorola Xoom tablet from Android Central and Wyse Technology posted originally by Android Central

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/AZIFOeoxATo/win-free-motorola-xoom-android-tablet-android-central-and-wyse-technology

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