Are you getting the most out of your laptop? Even if you have an old machine there are a couple of cheap tricks you can do to squeeze the best performance possible out of your PC. Want to know how? Laptop Magazine’s online editorial director Avram Piltch has the scoop. More »
Microsoft has made it clear that they’re ready to brush the Hotmail off their shoulders and get back to business with Outlook.com, a direct competitor for Google’s Gmail service. We’ve had a bit of a hands-on look at the public preview they’ve released earlier today and found it to be nothing less than clean, refined, and surprisingly easy to use. What Microsoft has done between the release earlier today and the media blitz that’s happened in the interim is to release their first advertisement video spot, complete with a few pointed cut-downs on Gmail with visual cues.
What you’re going to see in this spot is a rather friendly, “Dear Email, why have our expectations become so low? It’s time for something new.” And with that, they’re off to the races, having a peek at what’s quite obviously a rendering of Gmail with the name “OldMail” attached to it. This chalk drawing is quickly analyzed and tossed out with comments such as:
• Clutter
• Redundant
• Creepy Ads
And replaced with a layout that, with sticky-notes, Microsoft is claiming will contain a list of great abilities and features.
• Connected
• Modern
• Smart & Powerful
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Skype
• Clean UI
• Intuitive
• Modern Devices
• Office
• Skydrive
• Sweep
From here it does a lovely montage of these features with Skype video chat, some easy to use photo galleries, and nothing but lovely looks as its blue and white dominate the screen while photos and video are left to hang nicely in the stark gallery-like environment. This environment is, again, made to rather directly take on Gmail, and Microsoft isn’t shying away from that idea either. You can jump right in with your own email address to sign up, use your Microsoft account to move around, and hook up with Twitter and Facebook while you’re at it.
Windows Phone users will very soon be encouraged to use Outlook.com for their email needs while Microsoft finally makes a great effort to leave Gmail behind. Skydrive and Skype are already onboard here so you can connect with your Windows Phone easily, and we’re going to go ahead and make a wild guess and say that there’s a new Outlook email app on its way for all mobile devices, too. We shall see!
Outlook.com takes on Gmail directly with first ad spot is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
We all knew it was going to happen eventually, but today BioWare and Electronic Arts made it official: Star Wars: The Old Republic is going free-to-play. It seems that the Star Wars label and the BioWare name just weren’t enough to get the necessary amount of people to subscribe, so now the companies will see if a switch to free-to-play will provide a boost to user numbers and revenues. Though the transition won’t be happening until this fall (that’s as specific as EA was), there are some changes happening soon that current players will want to know about, so read on to find out more.
After the transition eventually happens, SWTOR will come in two different flavors: a subscription-based model and a freemium model. Those who choose to pay the monthly subscription fee will have access to all of The Old Republic‘s of features, and will be getting a monthly Cartel Coin bonus. Cartel Coins are BioWare’s funny money for The Old Republic, as they allow users to buy “customizable gear and convenience features” from the new Cartel Store. Free-to-play users will be able to play all of The Old Republic‘s 8 classes to level 50, but there will be a few restrictions that can be removed through microtransactions.
Current and former subscribers will get 150 Cartel Coins for each month they paid the subscription fee, so if you were planning to return to The Old Republic once it went free-to-play, you might want to consider jumping back in before the transition happens. BioWare also says that starting in August, the game will be sporting a new $14.99 price tag, allowing users to get in on the cheap before the switch. BioWare has launched an FAQ that answers many more questions about the transition to free-to-play, so if you’re currently subscribed, we recommend that you give it a look.
Making the switch the free-to-play has worked wonders for many MMOs in the past, and we expect that The Old Republic‘s popularity will skyrocket once the change is implemented. BioWare and Electronic Arts stand to make a lot of money if the transition is successful, which begs the question of why this didn’t happen back in February, when user numbers started making a sharp decline. It was probably pride that made them resist, but once the transition actually occurs, we have a feeling that both companies will wish they had bitten the bullet sooner.
Star Wars: The Old Republic going free-to-play later this year is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Well, you might not have heard about it from us, but by now you’re likely familiar with the tale of British journalist Guy Adams and the controversy surrounding his suspended Twitter account. The Independent correspondent posted a number critical missives regarding NBC’s Olympic coverage, one including the corporate email address of an executive at the network. Shortly there after his page went down. Adams has since had his account reinstated, but Twitter felt it necessary to clear the air about the circumstances regarding the temporary blockage. When the company’s Trust & Safety receives a complaint that personal information is being distributed, its policy is to temporarily suspend the offending account. NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel filed such a complaint, and the social network now admits it was at the behest of members of its team working closely with NBC on its Olympic coverage. That, it acknowledges, was a mistake. Twitter says it does not actively monitor anyone’s account and that the Trust & Safety team was unaware that Zenkel acted on the suggestion from the company’s employees. Adams has since had his account reinstated and in a blog post Twitter has stated that it “should not and cannot be in the business of proactively monitoring and flagging content, no matter who the user is.”
Filed under: Internet
Twitter responds to suspended reporter controversy, explains Trust & Safety policies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Here’s a neat/gross piece of trivia that should make waking up to a stiflingly hot forecast a little easier to deal with. In Japan, a website called Gokiten—aka Cockroach Weather—takes the current conditions into account to determine how likely it is you’ll run across a cockroach as you go about your day. More »
A MIPS-based tablet was the first slate to officially run Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and the processor technology will also beat the crowds to running the new Jelly Bean OS. It might be second to the Nexus 7, but Karbonn Mobiles’ new Smart Tab 1, available to the Indian market only, runs Google’s latest software — and its MIPS-based JZ4770 SoC, clocked at 1.2GHz, allows for the low price of $125. The 7-inch Smart Tab 1 itself isn’t new — it debuted with ICS in July — but current owners will receive an update, and new units will ship with Jelly Bean. Other specs include a 2-megapixel front shooter, HDMI support, 3G support through a USB dongle and up to 32GB of expandable storage via the microSD card slot. Head to the press release past the break for more info.
Continue reading $125 MIPS-based Smart Tab 1 brings Jelly Bean on a budget to India
Filed under: Tablet PCs
$125 MIPS-based Smart Tab 1 brings Jelly Bean on a budget to India originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you’ve ever wanted your own little humanoid robot to do your bidding, there’s a new kid in town you might want to check out. It’s called the HOVIS Eco, and it comes from Korea’s Dongbu Robot company.
The medium-sized humanoid Eco robot measures about 16.4″ tall by about 7.6″ wide, weighs just under 4 pounds, and has 20 degrees of freedom thanks to a large number of servo actuators. Unlike some humanoid robots, Eco has a friendly, modern look about it that’s not freaky or intimidating in any way. In fact, the little robot looks like it would be at home in a science-fiction movie that doesn’t involve a dystopian future.
Under its hard and shiny shell, Eco is powered by an Atmega 128 controller, which can be programmed using using bundled graphical editing software, or via a variety of APIs, using C++, Java, Python or the Android SDK. It can also be controlled by wireless remote. It comes with distance and sound sensors, and can be upgraded with an optional gyro sensor as well. The robot even comes packaged in a handy tool case making it easy to maintain and store.
While I can’t find a video of the Hovis Eco in action, here’s some footage of the Hovis Lite, the Eco older, uglier brother pulling off some impressive moves:
Priced at $900 (USD), the Hovis Eco is no toy, but it’s a serious hobbyists robot. If you’re interested in getting your hands on one, you can find it over at RoadNarrows Robotics.
Every few years the Olympic games brings the world together to watch the planet’s finest athletes compete for the gold medal—assuming you’ve got the money to travel the globe and can afford the ridiculous markups charged by restaurants and hotels in the host city. Not to mention trying to get tickets to the best events without selling your soul. More »
Google announced today that it has purchased Wildfire, a social media marketing startup. Wildfire is only four years old, and since its inception its been helping businesses keep track of their presence across various social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. Neither company is talking about how much Google paid for Wildfire, but AllThingsD says that sources close to the deal reckon the amount is somewhere around $250 million.
Both companies are also being a little unclear about what Wildfire will be doing at Google, but it isn’t hard to guess. Google will want to incorporate Wildfire into its social marketing efforts, and Wildfire will likely become an invaluable tool for Google when it comes to expanding those efforts. That being said, Wildfire users can rest assured that the company will continue to offer its current services, as Wildfire says “there will be no changes to our service and support for our customers.”
On the Official Google Blog, Product Management Director Jason Miller said that this team up between the search giant and Wildfire will result in more businesses getting involved with their customers. “The ultimate goal is better and fresher content, and more meaningful interactions,” Miller wrote. “People today can make their voices heard in ways that were previously impossible, and Wildfire helps businesses uphold their end of the conversation (or spark a new one).”
We can probably expect Wildfire to help Google with the ongoing development of Google Plus at first, but really, the exact plan is only known by those at Wildfire and Google. This isn’t the first time Google has attempted to buy a company that focuses on social marketing, however, so you can bet that Google has a plan for Wildfire already formed and ready to be carried out. Stay tuned, because this could turn out to be a major win for the big G.
Google announces Wildfire acquisition is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
In the continuing epic battle that is Apple vs Samsung in the USA version of their collection of court cases going on around the world, Samsung has opened with statements that attempt to make it clear that they admire the iPhone. Along with this admiration, Samsung’s lawyer Charlie Verhoeven has attempted to make it clear that being inspired by a product is something that everyone does, and that this process is called competition, no copying. Samsung pushed for detailed comparisons between Samsung and Apple devices, showing rounded corners, startup sequences, and home screen configurations as well.
Verhoeven’s opening statement for Samsung went so far as to assert that Apple “didn’t invent the rectangular shaped form factor” and “didn’t invent having a touch screen.” Of course his hour and a half statement did not take the same stance as Apple’s did, that being the company positioning themselves as the risk-taker in a world (before the iPhone) where they’d have had to risk it all to make a name for themselves in the industry. Instead, Samsung is hoping to make it clear that Apple depends on Samsung for a collection of components in the iPhone including:
• Processors
• Flash memory
• Main memory
Verhoeven made it a point to mention these bits and make it clear that Samsung supplies several parts to Apple for the iPhone. These bits are key components, he said, and Samsung was the one to create them in a way that Apple decided to utilize for their most important products – the iPhone in particular.
“The guts that make this phone work, … they are all supplied by Samsung. Apparently Apple thinks Samsung invented something, because it’s buying products for its own devices.” – Verhoeven
The quote above comes from Josh Lowensohn from CNET, direct from the courtroom. Verhoeven noted that Samsung certainly never copied what Apple had made in the original iPhone. Such an inspiring product, he said, was never going to exist without seeing reactions in kind.
“We’re not standing here telling you ladies and gentleman of the jury that the iPhone wasn’t commercially successful. It was an inspiring product to everyone, including the competition. But being inspired by a product and seeking to make better products is competition. It’s not copying.” – Verhoeven
Check out the rest of our coverage of the Apple vs Samsung case from its big start today and in the few weeks leading up to this battle. We’ll be here throughout the case to bring you up to date happenings as they go down as well – the war is on!
Samsung opening statement calls iPhone “inspiring product to everyone” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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