Hasta La Gadget!

Windows Phone 8 is bringing a lot of new features with it when it arrives later this year, but one of the more intriguing (and welcome) features is apparently called “Kid’s Corner.” Spotted by The Verge, this new feature gives children their own home screen – one that their parents have complete control over. Parents can share apps, games, and other content with the Kid’s Corner, meaning that when their children use their specially made home screen, they’ll have access to that shared content, but nothing else on the phone.

Once Kid’s Corner has been set up, it can be accessed by swiping from the left on the home screen. To exit Kid’s Mode, one only has to press the power button. As you can see from the images, the name and color of Kid’s Mode is customizable, and it’s a feature that should be hitting all Windows Phone 8 devices.

We have to say that this a pretty genius feature to include with Windows Phone 8. Kids love smartphones as much as adults do, but the problem with that comes from the fact that not everything on a smartphone is appropriate for young children. Things like dialers and app stores can be pretty dangerous in the hands of a young child, and it seems that Kid’s Corner will be able to block children from accessing those.

Kid’s Corner hasn’t been officially unveiled by Microsoft yet, but those images do seem to confirm that such a feature exists. One thing is for sure though: if this is a real feature of Windows Phone 8, then Microsoft will likely be able to win over the hearts of quite few parents. Keep an ear to SlashGear, as we’ll have more information for you once Microsoft spills the beans.

Windows Phone 8 to feature ‘Kid’s Corner’ home screen for children is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Today 2 Chainz and Kanye West dropped the bizarro video for “Birthday Song,” and of course Pitchfork, the Fader, Stereogum all covered it. Did you miss it? You wouldn’t have if you had Shuffler.fm. More »

TDK‘s Boombox rocked minds and windows alike with its modern take on a retro classic. Buoyed by its success, the casette-maker of old is back with new audio hardware at IFA. Three devices, again on the speaker front. First up is the Boombox Wireless, which is a similar, but updated, design from the original and features not only streaming sans cables via Bluetooth, but inductive charging, too. If you don’t want to cut the cord completely, there’s a 3.5mm aux input, USB slot for charging plus an FM radio and headphone output. Next up is the Wireless Weatherproof Speaker, which despite being described as “rugged” and boasting an IP 64 weather compliant design, looks like any regular device. It, too, has Bluetooth streaming and inductive charging, along with 3.5mm input and built-in microphone. If these two were all looking a little bit oblong, then the curious Wireless Charging Cube might be for you. Yep, it’s Bluetooth streaming and the same wire-free charging, but this time that goes both ways. Plonk your Qi induction compatible device on top, and it’ll juice that while you jam (there’s a non wireless charging / charger version also.) How much do these slabs of sound cost? The Boombox is $399, the Wireless Weatherproof is $250 while the Wireless Charging Cube is $399. Not a peep on availability at this time, we’ll connect you up though, once we get it.

Continue reading TDK introduces new wireless Boombox and two new weatherproof speakers

Filed under: Home Entertainment

TDK introduces new wireless Boombox and two new weatherproof speakers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Firefox 15 is barely fresh off the vine, and we’re already looking at a beta version 16 for both desktop platforms and Android. Mozilla’s test release builds in the first support for web apps that play nicely with the Mozilla Marketplace; as long as titles have a slight amount of extra formatting, they can slot into Firefox without hiccups. More treats exist if you’re running certain platforms: the Android crowd receives a Safari-style Reader Mode that strips out the fluff from pages, while Mac users see the once test-only VoiceOver support flipped on by default to improve accessibility. Even developers get a little something special through a quick-access toolbar and more readily accessible CSS4 scripting. If any of this sounds tempting, there’s a pair of source links waiting for your attention.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software

Firefox 16 beta arrives with web app hooks, Reader Mode for Android and VoiceOver for Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Future of Firefox  |  Firefox Beta, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

You would think that people would be sick of Pac-Man by now, but we keep coming up with new versions and new ways to play the classic game. And now some enterprising folks have come up with a way to play Pac-Man in 3D. It’s surprisingly low-tech, though.

The installation was put conceived by Keita Takahashi, creator of Katamari Damacy for the recent Babycastles Summit at New York’s Museum of Art and Design.

Basically, you play this game in a square room, using all four walls as a screen. This puts you right in the center of the maze as you eat power pellets and chase ghosts to every side of you and on the ceiling too. The room and ceiling are covered in white cloth with the images projected onto them. You just have to play the game as if you are in it.

I imagine this would make some people feel a bit sick, but it still looks like fun.

[via UberGizmo via Geeky-Gadgets]