Reality Bites
If you’ve even briefly considered setting up your own domain with Google Apps, consider that after May 10, any new Apps “Standard Edition” sign-ups are limited to 10 users, requiring a Business Edition purchase to go beyond that limit. Need help getting started? We’ve previously covered how to host your domain with free apps (including Google Apps), and how to further trick out that domain. More »
Have you had a long week and need something to make those last few hours more bearable? Then settle back and get ready for a nice bit of fun! In this week’s game your mission is to help the aliens on Moana run the human settlers out and send them packing for home.
Note: Yes, this is an Angry Birds clone, but at least it is a nicely done one.
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| 50+ Tools & Techniques to Remove Image Backgrounds in Photoshop, pt 1 | Geek Rants: Why Do So Many Web Sites Fail to Use Print Stylesheets? | Max Out the Multi-Monitor Magic Under Windows 7 |
Remember Google Patent Search? Not many do, but that’s all about to change now that patents are searchable directly from the Google Search sidebar. More »
By now you’ve probably seen the latest spectacle to consume the white iPhone 4: it’s thicker than the black model. The image above illustrates the point using a piece of lead from a mechanical pencil. So what, you say, in righteous indignation to a device that shipped ten months late. Well, the size difference creates a potential consumer issue since cases (at least the good ones) are manufactured against the tight tolerances supplied by Apple. We’ve confirmed ourselves, that an Incase slider that fits a black iPhone 4 just fine has to be forced into place on the new white model. Unfortunately, Apple’s own spec page doesn’t highlight the change in thickness (measured at 9.5mm by TiPb). Instead it still shows a 9.3mm depth with a tiny disclaimer stating, “Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.” The result is confusion — will this case fit or won’t it? — which is never a good thing for consumers.
But why is the white iPhone 4 thicker? Phil Schiller mentioned that Apple needed to add extra UV protection among other tweaks, in an attempt to reduce the “unexpected interactions” between the white cover and the internal components. As such, Apple apparently needed to sacrifice some slimness for a better functioning white phone. In the end, we have what looks to be four different size / button configurations that must be considered when purchasing a shrink-wrapped case for your white iPhone 4, black iPhone 4, white Verizon iPhone 4, or black Verizon iPhone 4. Good luck with that.
Additional reporting by Sam Sheffer
[Thanks, Jon]
Filed under: Cellphones
White iPhone 4 thickness creates issue for case makers, owners originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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With an 80 percent success rate, there’s a pretty good chance that Justin here is better at playing catch than you are. This old German Aerospace Agency-designed robot, which we first saw in 2009, learned a new trick — he can track thrown objects as they approach, calculate their flight path, and snap his cold, soulless hands around them before they hit the ground. Better yet, he can catch two objects at the same time. For his encore, Rollin’ Justin uses his tactile finger sensors to prepare you a cup of coffee, just so you know there’s no hard feelings once’s he’s done schooling you at three flies up. The ‘bot can be controlled via iPad and acts totally grateful when you get him a tie for Christmas, even though it’s not what he really wanted. Video after the break.
Update: Johannes sent us another video of him catching two balls with one hand! It’s after the break.
Continue reading Rollin’ Justin robot plays catch, makes coffee, aims to replace your dad (video)
Rollin’ Justin robot plays catch, makes coffee, aims to replace your dad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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An Iowa man completed his Lent-long beer fast on Sunday, marking the occasion with a bacon smoothie. During the 46-day feat, J. Wilson consumed only beer and water, emulating a centuries-old tradition once practiced by the Paulaner monks of Munich, Germany. How long could a man survive on beer and water?
[more …]
Back in the day, people often compared computer processors by comparing their clock speed. Now, though, that value means very little when comparing two processors of different families. Ars Technica explains why. More »
A scientist who studies the small, silver elephantfish may have stumbled on the key to speciation, the process that allows one species to evolve into two or more. And it’s all about developing new sensory perceptions. More »
Remember how Adobe said Flash 10.2 wasn’t living up to its full hardware-accelerated potential on Honeycomb thus far? Well, it seems the company’s found a solution by the name of Android 3.1. We’ve been inundated with tips (and have confirmed with Adobe) that there’s a sticky-sweet new build of Android on the way for the recent crop of slates that OEMs and carriers are rolling out, and that — just like last time — you’ll need that software to take advantage of all the hardware rendering and compositing that your Tegra 2 silicon can afford. With any luck, 720p playback won’t burn our eyeballs this time around. By the way, the Android Market item above was updated this morning to read “requires an upcoming release of Android 3” rather than “Android 3.1,” but it’s unclear whether the original number was inaccurate or whether Adobe got in trouble.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Android 3.1 gets namechecked by Adobe Flash Player 10.2, will be required to enjoy accelerated 720p video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Optimus is not happy about the lack of communication between Autobots and Earthlings — now the space robot has to clean up our mess… again! Watch Michael Bay's latest Transformers trailer now. More »
Sometimes, the expressions on a person’s face can mean much more than what they say. To help you stay in touch with your friends and family, we’re launching Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones.
You can now video or voice chat with your friends, family and colleagues right from your Android phone, whether they’re on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer. You can make calls over a 3G or 4G data network (if your carrier supports it) or over Wi-Fi.
In your Google Talk friends list, a video or voice chat button will appear next to your contacts and you can simply touch the button to connect with them. Any text chats from the person you’re talking with will be overlaid on your phone’s screen so you can read them without having to leave the video. And, if you need to check something else, the video pauses automatically so you can go back to your phone’s home screen or another app. The audio will keep going even though the video has paused. Check out how this works:
Google Talk with video and voice chat will gradually roll out to Nexus S devices in the next few weeks as part of the Android 2.3.4 over-the-air update and will launch on other Android 2.3+ devices in the future. To learn more about using video and voice chat, check out our Help Center.
Post content Posted by Colin Gibbs, Product Manager and Wei Huang, Tech Lead
As for Windows Phone, Microsoft unfortunately isn’t providing much in the way of specifics — on its earnings call, it only went as far as to say that “product reviews are good” and “customer satisfaction is high,” and that developer interest has increased following its announcement of the Nokia partnership. It was unsurprisingly a bit more eager to divulge specifics for its gaming business, though, and revealed that it sold 2.4 million Kinect sensors in Q3, along with 2.7 million Xbox 360 consoles — the latter of which is a new third quarter record for the company.
Microsoft announces record Q3 earnings: $16.43 billion revenue, $5.23 billion net income originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ready for some Android goodness? Regional carrier SaskTel will be releasing the HTC Wildfire S. According to the internal doc we received it shows this Android 2.3 powered device will be available sometime this June. No word yet on the price but it will certainly be affordable. Specs of this little beast have it loaded […]
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Plowing through bug reports is a reliable way to dig up juicy morsels of info, and thanks to that timeless tactic we’ve got some specs on a pair of unannounced Chrome OS devices. First up is a netbook from Acer codenamed ZGB which, according to a recently filed report, will have a 1366 x 768 panel, presumably in the 10 to 12 inch range. We also know that you can hook up an external display to it via an HDMI port powered by an encoder chip from Chrontel. Since AMD’s Fusion netbook platform supports HDMI natively, we can also safely assume that the ZGB will be running the web-only OS on an Atom processor. That’s where the details end for now but, hey, it’s better than nothing.
The other device, Seaboard, has been floating around the Chrome OS flaw depot for some time, but reports are finally starting to reveal some tantalizing details. We now know that it is powered by a Tegra 2 and sports a touchscreen — the perfect place to test out those finger-friendly tweaks we’ve heard so much about. There are also mentions of a “lid switch” and a physical keyboard, indicating it may be a convertible or something in the vein of the Eee Pad Slider rather than a pure slate. The hybrid form factor would make perfect sense since it will house a pair of USB ports and an HDMI jack, which could make for a rather chunky tablet. Obviously, neither of these devices are confirmed yet (and Seaboard is most likely being used for internal testing only) but at least we’ve got a better idea of what to expect when the browser-based OS comes to consumers later this year.
Chrome OS machines leaked in bug reports: Acer netbook and touch-friendly Seaboard originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Shazam is one of those already taken for granted lifechanger apps—never be ignorant of a song's identity, ever again. It's great, but it just got greater—on Android. The new app not only streams full songs your friends have tagged, but will let you ID unlimited songs on your own, free until 2012. You'll have to do with some eBay advertisement, but hey—free Shazaam for the rest of the year. [Android Market via Phandroid] More »
Everyone knows the cops have tools to get inside your phone. But what do they do? They suck your iPhone’s entire soul in 15 minutes. With one single click. This is what it looks like. More »
Watch as a spider quickly subdues an ant in its web…and then something unexpected happens.
This is the Sixth Sense of spider nature videos.
Tags: video
It’s true, per Major Nelson Hulu Plus will launch on Xbox 360 tomorrow amid a slew of promotions, the first of which will provide free access to the service for all US-based Xbox Live members (free or paid) through May 6th courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. We should be able to get some hands on time with the app in a few. Until then you can imagine what it will be like to watch 24 The Confession in HD or every episode of Spaced through your console in between rounds of messin’ with Sasquatch (explanation after the break).
Update: Now with screens plus details on the giveaways and a demo of Hulu Plus w/ Kinect after the break!
Gallery: Hulu Plus on Xbox 360
Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 launches tomorrow, all members get a free week thanks to beef jerky originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
(Cross-posted to the Google Enterprise Blog)
We’re excited to announce that you can now upload images to Google spreadsheets. From the Insert menu, select Image… Then, choose an image file to upload into your spreadsheet.
With this feature, you can upload an image already stored on your computer, search for an image online, or add personal photos directly from one of your Picasa Web Albums.
Let us know what you think in the Google spreadsheets forum!
Posted by: Nick Santos, Staff Software Engineer
There’s a new fad sweeping the nation, and, sadly, it’s not women going topless. Nope — it’s monkeytail beards. Monkeytail beards (NOT BEARS) start at one ear and then wrap around your chin and mouth to make it look like you just finished picking the ticks off a monkey’s nuts with your teeth. Personally, I’m more of a sloth man. “HEEEEEY YOOOOOOU GUYS!” Not him, he still gives me nightmares. You don’t actually have to stripe your beard like this Dapper Dan did to achieve a monkeytail, it just scores some extra ‘girls talking to you at the bar’ points if you do. Unfortunately, any girl who does talk to you will NOT being accompanying you home at the end of the night. “Why not?!” And the answer to that, my friend, lies in the mirror.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the handsomest of them all?”
“You must be out of your f***ing mind! Just break me already.”
Hit the jump for a pictorial field-guide, including one guy trying to candidly include his gramma in the picture, another doing his best Bushicmi eyes, and another taken on the can. Classy bunch.