New Gadgets
- Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices
If your smartphone Sunday lacks the holiday flair you were hoping for, Microsoft is serving up a basket full of economically priced Easter eggs. Seven Xbox Live Windows Phone games have shed their premium pricing for the weekend, letting patient gamers pick up titles like Angry Birds and Max and the Magic Marker for the standard 99 cents. Other titles in the hitherto unannounced sale include Burn the Rope, Doodle God, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, IonBallEX and De Blob. Just in time for folks who need more than bunny-shaped GPS routes to celebrate Easter.
Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WPCentral, Cheap Ass Gamer | | Email this | Comments - Gates Foundation collaborates with Manchester University to develop potable toilet water
It’s an unsettling thought, having to drink water from that bowl in your bathroom, but if the need ever arose, wouldn’t you be glad to know it was clean and safe? Dr. Sarah Haigh, a researcher into the properties of nanomaterials at Manchester University, is currently pursuing this goal with a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With the help of nanomaterials and bacteria, Haigh believes that hydrogen can be easily extracted from not only the water, but human waste itself, which could then be processed into clean water. Should the system work effectively, Haigh stands to receive an additional $1,000,000 grant to further her research and develop inexpensive purification systems for use in nations without modern infrastructure. And you thought nothing worthwhile would come from purchasing Microsoft Office.
Gates Foundation collaborates with Manchester University to develop potable toilet water originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar (video)
Still dallying at the corner of Custom ROM Road? Then maybe the forthcoming update from Team Kang (AOKP Build 30, no less) will entice you onwards. The preview clip after the break reveals a new level of freedom for the ICS navigation bar, including the ability to add up to five buttons, assign them to apps or actions as you wish, modify their icons and add separate long-press functions. It also gives you the ability to incorporate Nova Launcher actions into the bar, effectively bringing a whole extra layer of customization. Reactions over at RootzWiki range from “I’m crying, this is a beautiful moment” to “I just broke my hand punching a wall,” but the latter dude admitted he’d been drinking.
Continue reading Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar (video)
Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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zaphodbeeble2112 (YouTube) | Email this | Comments - PSA: Nokia Lumia 900 available today
Did our thorough Lumia 900 review convince you that a mix of polycarbonate hardware and Metro UI is where your smartphone future lies? Well, it’s time to head to your nearest AT&T vendor because Nokia’s latest effort to break America is here. Just don’t forget those 100 bucks.
PSA: Nokia Lumia 900 available today originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AT&T | Email this | Comments - Netflix explains its recommendation system, can’t find a reason for Adam Sandler’s last movie
In case you’ve been wondering why Netflix tends to recommend the movies it does, there’s a post on the company’s Tech Blog breaking down the various levels of its system. Remember the Netflix Prize contest? Teams of researchers produced competing algorithms capable of more accurately predicting how members would rate movies, but while some of the early winning efforts are still in use, the million dollar solution was never implemented because the potential gains were too small to justify the engineering effort needed. Additionally, while Netflix still hasn’t implemented individual profiles for household members yet, the blog indicates it does try to recommend something for everyone, seeking both accuracy and diversity — which may explain some of more out there picks in our personal “recommended for you” list. Where available (read: outside the US) Facebook integration plays a part too, as well as a variety of information used to find movies similar to those previously viewed. The proof of how all these parts come together is ultimately judged by the viewers, while we wait for part two with more data to pore over — is Netflix managing to accurately pull any flicks you want to watch out of its catalog.
Netflix explains its recommendation system, can’t find a reason for Adam Sandler’s last movie originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply
War. What is it good for? Well, if new use of technology by the US Navy has anything to do with it, finding Pirates for a start. By upgrading its existing Fire Scouts with new 3D laser imaging tech, it’s hoped that the drones will be able to recognize the small ships used by these unscrupulous seafarers. The system, known as LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging, also known as LADAR) uses millions of laser pulses reflected off an object to create the three-dimensional image, which could then referenced against known pirate ships from a database. Ultimately, human operators will make the final call, to avoid any ED-209 style mis-understandings. That said, if you’re taking the dingy out past the Californian breakwaters this summer, you might want to keep the stars and stripes in clear view, as that’s where the Navy will be running its initial trials.
US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Live Science | Innovation News Daily | Email this | Comments - Everything old is new again: NVIDIA rebrands Fermi-based GT 520 and 510 into 600-series
NVIDIA may have trotted out a brand new beast, ripe with fresh Kepler architecture, but that doesn’t mean it put Fermi to bed. Allow us to introduce you to the GT 520 and the GT 510, or as they now prefer to be called, the GeForce GT 620 and GeForce 605, respectively. These OEM GPUs have traded half of their memory and a few clock speed tweaks for OpenGL 4.2 support and a low-end position in the firm’s new 600-series. Despite their very Kepler-esque numbering (and NVIDIA’s website placing them in the same “product family” as the flagship GTX 680), Tom’s Hardware says the firm’s Bryan Del Rizzo confirmed the 605 and 620 are Fermi-based graphics cards. Then again, not all cousins share the same surname. File this under “extended family” and call it a day.
Everything old is new again: NVIDIA rebrands Fermi-based GT 520 and 510 into 600-series originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Electronista | NVIDIA, Tom’s Hardware | Email this | Comments - Max Payne to rampage on iOS April 12th, Android April 26th
Are you a smartphone user with an itchy trigger finger? Listen up. Rockstar Games has announced that the one and only Max Payne will begin terrorizing your iOS and Android devices in the very near future. The wares will be available for Apple-branded gear (iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, along with the iPod touch 4 and all iPad iterations) on April 12th, and Google’s implements two weeks later on the 26th. Max Payne Mobile is promising to deliver HD graphics, high resolution textures and exclusive content via the company’s Social Club service to your miniaturized screen. Rockstar did not elaborate on which Android sets would be supported, but promised to publish a full list “in the coming weeks.” Limber up those thumbs, charge up that handset and get ready to lay waste to… pretty much anything that moves.
Max Payne to rampage on iOS April 12th, Android April 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Origin PC EON15-S and EON17-S gaming laptops available now, priced from $1,525
In the market for a beastly portable gaming rig that won’t break the bank? Origin PC today announced availability of its EON15-S and EON17-S gaming laptops, with pricing starting at $1,525 and $1,576, respectively. You’ll of course still be able to hand over an arm and a leg depending on how you opt to build out your system, but considering that the base model is priced at nearly half the amount its predecessor was when it was announced this time last year, we imagine additions will wield a softer blow than they did in 2011. Both systems include Intel HM77 Ivy Bridge chipsets, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M, 670M or 675M graphics with Optimus power-conservation technology, and a 5.1 ONKYO surround sound system. Both cases offer unique designs, with black, red, silver or custom finishes, and a colorful backlit keyboard. What else could you possibly need? Perhaps a press release and a few more pictures — and we’ve got both for you right here.
Gallery: Origin PC EON17-S
Gallery: Origin PC EON15-S
Continue reading Origin PC EON15-S and EON17-S gaming laptops available now, priced from $1,525
Origin PC EON15-S and EON17-S gaming laptops available now, priced from $1,525 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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