Hasta La Gadget!

Google Reader will unfortunately be shutting down in July, despite the fact that it still maintains a loyal following. When the news broke out, Reader users started looking for alternatives. There were many, and the once mighty Digg threw its hat in the ring as well. The folks at Digg said that they want to rebuild the best Reader features, which includes its API. Digg then unveiled several key points that they will be keeping in mind while developing their own RSS solution, and today they finally revealed that the beta version of this new service will be available in June albeit in beta mode.

Digg also conducted a research in which 8,600 participants took part, 40% of all participants said that they would pay for a Google Reader alternative if it offered the proper functionality. Since Digg also found out through its research that most Reader users weren’t fans of its social features, its own service wouldn’t be launching with mighty social features at first, but it hasn’t ruled them out for the future. Since the beta version goes live in June, we can only hope Digg will launch its new service soon after Reader shuts down on the 1st of July. Impeccably timing the release might provide a boost to new sign ups.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Twitter Believes Attacks Against High Profile Accounts Will Continue, France Allegedly Opposed To YouTube Buying Dailymotion Controlling Share,

This week we’re having a peek at the OPPO Find 5, a device aimed at China’s Android-loving smartphone market made by a manufacturer that, if this handset is any indication, has a very bright future. This device delivers a 5-inch 1080p display – the same resolution as the DROID DNA aka HTC Butterfly, works with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor as the Google Nexus 4, and comes with a 13 megapixel camera on its back. It’s also quite charming to see.

When the device is off, the display is so black you’ll not be able to tell where the blackness of the bezel stops and the screen begins. The bezel around this device’s display is quite thin to begin with at 3.25mm, and it’s nearly full-faced glass front allows for a healthy presentation of the display, a display the company should be quite proud of.

At 441 PPI, this device is one of the most densely-packed on the market, and with the device’s “one glass solution”, also known as OGS, OPPO have implemented an optical lamination to bond the touch layer of the display as close as possible to the rest, allowing this device to also be rather thin overall. The battery inside is also non-removable, allowing OPPO to make it slim too.

On the back you’ve got a 13-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and the ability to shoot 120fps video for some excellent slow-motion action. The camera software in the end is extremely simple with a no-nonsense user interface and its very few features made easy to access. Another of these features is the ability to shoot 100 photos every five seconds.

This device’s main speaker is back-facing – this is unfortunate as it does sound rather good when facing towards the user. With Dolby 3D sound and Dirac HD, you’ll still have substantial sound as it reflects off the palm of your hand.

More insight and details about the innards and overall package this device delivers will be available to you from SlashGear in the near future in our full review. Until then, please feel free to ask any and all questions you may have about the devices – no limits!

OPPO Find 5 unboxing and hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

eBay hopes to infiltrate the offline market come this summer and it’s first step involves collaborating with a retailer to launch a touchscreen store window. eBay CEO John Donahoe spoke at TechCrunch’s Disrupt NY event and said that a retailer, whose name was not revealed, in New York will feature a life size touchscreen store window compliments of eBay. The touchscreen store window is just one of many to come.

eBay knows that a majority of transactions are still being done offline, so in order for eBay to grab more revenue, it needs to venture off the internet and into brick-and-mortar stores. It has already begun to do this by implementing PayPal, its payment transaction subsidiary, into over 250,000 retail stores all around the world. It hopes to expand PayPal into over 2 million stores by the end of this year.

The company is focusing most of its efforts into mobile this year. It expects to see at least $20 billion in mobile commerce alone this year. Donahoe stated, “Mobile is clearly changing how consumers shop and pay”. He says that eBay has to focus on its efforts on smartphones, tablets, and in-store devices because consumers are not just using one screen to access their information, but many. eBay acquired Duff Research recently, which it will be using to help improve its mobile services.

Many companies, like eBay, have also redirected their focus onto developing better mobile platforms. Facebook is a good example. Instead of focusing on just creating a better desktop performance for users, Facebook put most of its efforts into developing its mobile Android launcher, Facebook Home. The IDC reported that around 722 million smartphones and 128 million tablets shipped last year alone, so it’s no surprise that businesses are seeing the important role mobile devices play in the world of advertising and commerce.

[via TechCrunch]

eBay begins push into offline market with touchscreen store windows is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield unveils Canada's new $5 bill aboard the International Space Station.

(Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

By far the coolest thing Canada has in space is Chris Hadfield, commander of the International Space Station. He’s all over social and news media with his wacky zero-g demos, guitar playing, and amazing photos of Earth.

Today Hadfield notched another first: unveiling a banknote in space. At a Bank of Canada press conference in Ottawa, the mustachioed colonel appeared via ISS video link. He plucked the bank’s latest polymer bill from a bracket on the wall, gave it a few weightless twirls, and pointed to the robots it features.

“I just want to tell you how proud I am to be able to see Canada’s achievements in space highlighted on our money,” Hadfield told Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney. “To feature Canadarm2 and Dextre for the theme of the $5 note, it really marks Canada’s contribution to the International Space Station Program, and especially our longtime area of expertise in robotics.”

Related stories

• … [Read more]

  Related Links:
  Astronaut Chris Hadfield shows off his spacesuit waltz
  Wringing out a space station washcloth makes water clingy
  Gawk at new images of Saturn’s super-sized hurricane
  Watch: How to brush your teeth in space
  Watch astronaut Chris Hadfield’s zero-gravity workout
  

  

  Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • More

  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • Email

NASA has been relying on the Russians to get astronauts to the International Space Station since the shuttle program was retired in 2011, and it looks like it will be doing so for at least a few years longer. The space agency confirmed today that it’s been forced to extend its contract for crew transportation services with Rocosmos until June of 2017, a move that comes at a cost of some $424 million. In announcing the news, NASA also reiterated that it is “committed to launching U.S. astronauts aboard domestic spacecraft as soon as possible,” and says that it should be able to do so by 2017 provided it receives all of the funding outlined in the Obama administration’s 2014 budget. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden further adds that he’s “pleased with the progress our commercial crew providers are making,” and remains confident that (again, funding-provided) they will be helping it carry astronauts into space “in just a few short years.”

[Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls]

Comments

Source: NASA