Hasta La Gadget!

A few hours ago, rumors started swirling that Microsoft Surface ads would start appearing tonight. A tweet appeared from Paul Thurrott of Windows Supersite with alleged times for the ads, info garnered from unnamed sources. It seems the timing was spot-on, as the first commercial was posted on YouTube two hours ago, featuring a lot of dancing, and a lot of Surface tablets being thrown around.

This kick off comes shortly after Microsoft unveiled a new Windows 8 ad, the first of a marketing campaign that the company is spending a reported $1.5 to $1.8 billion on. According to Thurrott’s tweets, Microsoft is dropping $400 million on its Surface marketing campaign. Check out the video below to see the commercial for yourself.

The Microsoft Surface is scheduled for launch on October 26th, the same day that Windows 8 will be available. According to Microsoft executives, a Surface Pro device will be available approximately three months after the Surface is launched. Rumors abound that Microsoft will launch a Surface blog soon, while an official Twitter account has already been setup up at @Surface.

The Surface runs Windows 8, and measures in at 9.3mm thick, with one USB port, and a 10.6″ ClearType display. The cover is 3mm thick and pressure-sensitive, doubling as both “a fully functioning keyboard and trackpad.” Still no word on pricing or pre-orders, although one Microsoft store employee was quoted as saying that the price would “shock everybody.” Rumor has it the price will be around $199.

Microsoft Surface ad campaign kicks off with “The Surface Movement” commercial is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Time lapse videos always make for a beautiful show but this one by Reid Gower might be the most impressive time lapse in a very long while: it shows places from all over our world—Vegas, Instanbul, the sky, the moon, the stars, etc.—and laces it into one video where you can’t help but go damn, we live in a wonderful world. More »

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a mea culpa Tuesday for the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which claimed the lives of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others.

“I take responsibility,” Clinton said to CNN’s Elise Labott, after arriving in Peru on a diplomatic visit.

The Obama administration has taken fire in recent weeks over its original claims that the attack resulted from a spontaneous protest in front of the consulate, stemming from outrage over the anti-Islamic film “The Innocence of Muslims.” The State Department has since backed away from those claims, confirming last week that there had been no protest at the consulate’s gates, and that the attack appeared to have been premeditated by extremist elements. Reports that security requests in the months leading up to the attack were denied have added fuel to the fire.

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More on Hillary Clinton

It was a nasty night in New Britain.

As former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. CEO Linda McMahon and Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy squared off in their third Senate debate, the atmosphere was like a tense carnival stage show. Shouts, boos and cheers from the crowd filled the air, and at one point a heckler interrupted Murphy’s closing statement.

A Huffington Post Pollster average gives Murphy a slight 45.1 percent to 44.9 percent edge over McMahon. Neither was taking chances — and over the course of 60 minutes, they weren’t letting up on the attacks.

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More on Elections 2012

Google tested a limited field run of a new search method that integrates a user’s Gmail and Drive with search in Gmail so that files, emails, and documents that are relevant to the search term appear in the search results as you type. Back in August when this started, the feature was a hit, according to Google, prompting the company to expand field run to more users. As of today, anyone can join the field test to get personalized search results.

Most of the personalized information via the test run will be displayed in the auto-complete drop-down results in Gmail as you type, which you can see in the screenshot above. For searches on Google.com, the personalized information will be displayed on the right-side of the screen, keeping your search results clean and easy to scan through. The personalized Google.com search results will still include Gmail, as it did in the initial field run, as well as other data from Google services, including Drive and Calendar.

If you’re keen on getting personalized Google results in your normal searches, as well as the expand Gmail search feature, you can sign up for the field run here. The field trial is currently only available for users with an @gmail.com email address, and is only available in English. When you click the Join button, assuming you’re already logged into your Gmail account, you’ll see “Thanks for joining! You will get an email confirmation when your account is ready. You can return to this page to leave the field trial.”

Other features with the Gmail and Search field trial includes an enhanced flight tracking feature, which pulls flight information from your Gmail when you search and displays it in the auto-complete results, with a link you can click to view the confirmation message that is nestled in your inbox somewhere. New Gmail search under the field run also includes a consolidation of links that have been shared in Gmail that are relevant to your search term. If you decide the new search results aren’t quite your thing, you can leave the field run any time by returning to the field run page and unsubscribing from it.

[via Official Gmail Blog]

Google expands personalized results in Gmail and Search is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.