We’re not saying that the entire podcast will dedicated to today’s launch of BlackBerry 10, but let’s face it — that’s the news of the week, and there’s a lot to talk about. We’re hoping to be joined by some special guests as we discuss the new phones and what it means for the future of RIM. Regardless of who joins us, however, it’s going to be a great podcast, so make sure to tune in!
Filed under: Announcements, Mobile, RIM
Any photos you have on Dropbox are about to be organized. A new virtual photo album service rounds up literally every image you’ve got in Dropbox, puts them in one place, and sorts them by date. Pretty great—or maybe pretty scary if you’re not sure what’s in your Dropbox. More »
Light fixtures are so gothic. Wanna be modern? Throw something behind your monolithic sofa and light room from the bottom up. Only problem with upward-shining lights? Aiming them. The Up Lamp aims (GET IT??) to remedy that with a tilted funnel that rotates to send lumens only where you want them: against the wall, at a pretty plant, your action figure collection, and so on. More »
Microsoft is no stranger to industry flak, but it’s always better to give than to receive, right? Steve Ballmer thinks so, and in a recent Bloomberg interview, he took a second away from talking up the new Office 2013 to smite Dropbox, saying that the 100 million users it boasts “sounds like a pretty small number to me.” He recovered slightly by adding “I’m not beating on Dropbox,” only to follow it with the finishing blow: “They’re a fine little startup and that’s great.” We doubt anyone else would call Dropbox a startup at this point, but Microsoft’s chief can’t be seen complimenting a SkyDrive rival now, can he? After having to defend the user stats for Redmond’s Yammer, he was also quizzed on the undying native Office for iPad rumor, to which he had “nothing to say,” apart from “we’ll see what we see in the future.” If these snippets aren’t quite enough, then head to the source link for the full interview. Ballmer may be a little less shouty these days, but it’s good to know he’s still capable of delivering the odd high-caliber burn.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Via: The Verge
Source: Bloomberg
IBM‘s infamous Watson supercomputer is making its way to the classroom after appearing on Jeopardy! a while back. IBM announced today that they’ll be building another Watson supercomputer and will be giving it to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to be the first university to receive a Watson supercomputer. Other universities are planned to get one in the future.
Rensselaer will receive the Watson system thanks to a grant that allows the university to invest more resources to research and development of big data, analytics, and cognitive computing. However, in return, IBM is asking the university to send its findings their way so that they can improve Watson even more.
Rensselaer’s private Watson supercomputer will have 15 terabytes of storage, which is actually more than even the Jeopardy! version had. Plus, the room that Watson will be stored in will allow 20 people at a time to work inside, including faculty, graduate students, and a few undergraduate students.
So what will the supercomputer be used for at the university? Artificial intelligence researchers at Rensselaer want to improve Watson’s mathematical ability and help it figure out the meaning of newer words. They also want to improve the computer’s ability to analyze all of the images, videos, and emails floating around on the internet, something that will prove to be no easy task for the folks at the university.
IBM’s Watson heading to its first university is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This week we’re having our first real good look at the game known as INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us, a DC Comics beast of a fighting-genre game that’s being released by the same folks who brought you Mortal Kombat. The trailer is showing off not only bits of the timeline included in this alternate universe, but gameplay as well. Every icon from Batman to Wonder Woman, Solomon Grundy to The Flash, and everyone in-between will be here for a massive beat-down festival the likes of which you’ve never seen before.
NetherRealm Studios are bringing what they call a “bold new franchise” to the fighting game genre complete with a “deep” original story that’s also being released as we speak in real-world comic book form. Each of the heroes and villains you know so well have been given “god-like” powers where applicable to essentially equalize their ability to destroy the other. Multi-tiered fighting arenas also make for a gaming experience that no DC comics hero (or Mortal Kombat character, for that matter) have ever been through before.
Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are behind the wheel here with a storyline made to engage not only game players but the comic universe as well. Iconic battle arenas are pulled directly from the pages of the comics as the storyline inside the game expands the environment created in the comics. With the power of the advanced computing systems inside the PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, you’ll be able to knock your opponents into, through, and completely out of the arenas in which you do battle.
This game is up for pre-order at several locations in the United States right this minute in standard editions as well as Collectors Editions. The Collector’s Edition includes the game itself, a 12-inch statue with Batman and Wonder Woman making with the action poses, and the “INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us” graphic novel. You’ll also get a digital download copy of the DOOM: Justice League movie and three unique and exclusive skins for your characters in-game based on the comic DC COMICS – THE NEW 52.
[via Official INJUSTICE Webspace]
INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us gameplay trailer shows Mortal Kombat, DC style is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
BlackBerry announced two phones today, but it’s clear which is the favorite son. The Z10 looks like a winner; it’s got brains and body enough to face the iPhones and Galaxy S IIIs of the world head-on. It’s got a release date and a price. It’s a phone any company would be proud to call a flagship. In fact, its only downside is that it’s totally irrelevant. Whoops! More »
While Foursquare may only seem like a check-in app that you use to tell your friends how jealous they should be, the service also allows users to review restaurants and other attractions just like on Yelp, and give it a 0-10 rating. Today, Foursquare has released the “Best of 2012” list that chock full of the best places to go in a given city, crowd-sourced by the users themselves.
While there are a ton of similar lists floating around the internet, Foursquare’s lists are quite unique, and the company says that while other sites’ lists are based upon the editors’ opinions or food critics, Foursquare rounds up the billions of check-ins that they have to see what the most popular places are in town.
The company uses tips, likes, dislikes, popularity, local expertise, and nearly three billion check-ins from over 30 million people around the world to determine how popular and good a certain place is. However, Foursquare has only made Best Of lists for a handful of cities in the US, including Chicago, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and more.
What’s perhaps most interesting about these lists, is that Foursquare discovered that certain cities have unique tastes in food: “Bostonians love seafood, Portland is a veggie paradise, and Philly may be the city of brotherly love, but what they really love is a good sandwich.” Clicking on a city reveals the best restaurants in the area, as well as the best nightlife destinations, and attractions.
Foursquare crowd-sources Best of 2012 lists for 30 cities is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
If you like to play the video game DC Universe Online so you can act out your superhero and super villain fantasies, the latest downloadable expansion pack for the game is now available to purchase. The DLC is called Home Turf and is the sixth add-on package for the online MMO game.
The biggest addition in this DLC is the ability for you to have your own lair and hideout. The lair will be able to host Lair PvP battles and has a mainframe computer that will give players access to new customizations and combat abilities that can be used in Metropolis or Gotham City. The hideout is a lesser version of a lair that lacks some of its capabilities.
The DLC also adds new missions at four locations giving a total of 10 new missions to complete. The content is available as a free download for Legendary members for $9.99(USD) for free and Premium players. You can download the content pack right now for the PC or PS3.
For the first time, scientists have found lifeforms where nobody thought it was possible: floating in the troposphere, the slice of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles (eight to 15 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. And not just a tiny few, but lot: 20% of every particle in that atmospheric layer are living organisms. More »
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