Hasta La Gadget!

Hmmm, it does seem very likely that Sonos will soon introduce a soundbar to keep their collection of wireless speakers happy, having picked up the collective nod of approval from the FCC for their Playbar, where you can see the label right above. So far, FCC filings of the Playbar seem to indicate that this Sonos device will rely on Wi-Fi connectivity to stream music in a similar manner as that of other devices. Label location mockups of the device do indicate a rectangular object which should not be too different from your standard issue soundbar.

So far, Sonos has yet to step forward and make an official mention of the Playbar, but considering the circumstances and how it has already been announced by the folks over at the FCC, this does seem to indicate that the Sonos Playbar should not be too far away from being released. Hopefully, an official release date (accompanied by reasonable pricing, of course) will be made available to the masses sooner rather than later.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Astronaut Records Song In Orbit, Google’s Scan And Match Feature Censors Explicit Lyrics [Rumor],

Google has announced today that its extending its free Gmail voice call promotion into 2013 in the US and Canada. This means you’ll be able to make domestic calls right from Gmail at no cost at all. Furthermore, you can still make international calls from Gmail at “insanely low rates”, starting at just a penny per minute for calls to most countries.

It seems that Google is turning this into a yearly holiday trend. Last year around this time, they announced an extension of free voice calling in Gmail that was initially launched in 2010. If history serves us well, Google will most likely make the same announcement next December when they’ll extend free calling through 2014.

The company introduced voice calls from Gmail in August 2010 after introducing Gmail’s voice and video chat feature in 2008. When the service first launched, Google said that it would make it free for the first year. Since then, though, the company has always extended the promotion since, resulting in free phone calls from Gmail the past several years.

The Gmail calling service is based off of Google Voice, which is Google’s own voice-calling and text-messaging service that offers free calling and text messaging provided that you have some sort of internet connection. However, besides Google+ contacts integration and the launch of an updated Android app, Google Voice has remained pretty quiet lately.

Google extends free calling in Gmail through 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Story by Quinn Ford, courtesy DNAinfo.com Chicago:

WEST ENGLEWOOD — A teen who was friends with slain Englewood rapper Joseph “Lil Jojo” Coleman was shot dead Tuesday while wearing a hooded sweatshirt honoring the deceased vocalist, his family said Wednesday.

Joshua Davis, 18, of the 7200 block of South Bell Avenue, was shot multiple times after getting into a fight with several men, police News Affairs Officer Jose Estrada said.

Read More…
More on Chicago Crime

Are you in the market at the moment for a spanking new Ultrabook? If you have answered in the affirmative, then you might be interested to pick up something that is slightly different from the usual suspects that are Lenovo, Dell, Samsung and Toshiba. Ever considered what MSI is able to conjure up? Well, assuming you have $1100 thereabouts to spare, you might want to make a pit stop for the MSI S20 Ultrabook that does seem to resemble a somewhat chunky tablet at first glance, that is, until you slide out the keyboard from under the display. Doing so will make it resemble more like a notebook with a screen that has been locked in place at an approximately 45 degree angle.

First shown off this summer to the masses, the MSI S20 is up for pre-order from ExcaliberPC for $1099, where there are also whispers of it being shipped in Europe for around €999. Underneath the hood of the MSI S20, you will find an Intel Core i5-3317U processor, an 11.6” 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS display, 4GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD, accompanied by a couple of USB 3.0 ports and a mini HDMI port among others. I find it rather difficult to call this an Ultrabook considering the 2kg plus weight though.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Facebook Stories App To Meet New Years Eve Head On, Google Offers Free Calls Within US And Canada Through 2013,

There are plenty of Bluetooth speakers available these days, and here’s another one you might want to check out if you still haven’t found one you like. This latest one was designed in France, and is called the Lowdi.

The minimally-styled Lowdi is a Bluetooth 4.0 mobile speaker, with 3 watts of power. It can produce sound up to 80 dB measured at 0.5m, which isn’t bad. You can recharge the device via USB and its autonomy is 8 hours. Like other speakers, the 3.5mm input allows you to plug in other audio sources which don’t support Bluetooth. The Lowdi also has a mic so it can receive phone calls as well. Another nice touch is the rubber bumper around the exterior of the case, which resists scratches.

The Lowdi Bluetooth speaker sells for for €99 (~$132 USD), including a carrying pouch, USB charging cable and 3.5mm audio cable.

[via Geek & Hype]