Hasta La Gadget!

A year ago, Microsoft launched Outlook.com, the spanking new email service that also saw the ouster of the long serving Hotmail (with some missing emails in tow). Sure, anything new would require one to get used to it, but thankfully, the learning curve of adjusting to Outlook.com from Hotmail did not prove to be a steep one for most. Apart from a changed user experience, Outlook.com also came with a slew of new features as well as integration with other Microsoft products (sounds like a page out of Google, no?). Since then, Microsoft did do their bit to roll out updates to the Outlook.com service over the past year, ranging from fixes to improvements that have been highlighted in consumer feedback. In fact, we are looking a whopping 600 additions, changes and improvements that were packaged in 34 feature releases in the past year alone.

Well, Microsoft’s Dick Craddock did note that “the average number of monthly feedback submissions for Outlook.com is about 50 times what we received with Hotmail.” Are you happy with your Outlook.com experience so far? [Outlook.com Blog]

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Outlook.com Turns One original content from Ubergizmo.

Leaks seem to be rather common these days, be they hardware or software, and this time around, it would be the software pipe that has sprung a leak somewhere. Apparently, the XCOM: Enemy Within title has been leaked from a South Korean ratings board, where it has also been listed for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. This is clearly an interesting leak if the contents of it proved to be true, since The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (you can check out the official trailer of it that was released some time back already) has not even been released, and here we are with whispers of an XCOM: Enemy Unknown sequel. Oh, and just a note, XCOM: Enemy Unknown has also made its way to the iOS platform so that those who missed the boat last time many years back will be able to get hooked more than a decade later.

I guess with this leak, one is able to classify XCOM: Enemy Within under the folder of “Rumored Projects”, where the listing also claimed that it will make its way to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | XCOM: Enemy Within Title Leaked original content from Ubergizmo.

The Nokia 808 PureView which was announced early last year certainly captured the imagination of the masses with its 41-megapixel sensor, considering how smartphones at that point in time did not feature such a high megapixel count. Still, all those megapixels does not automatically mean your images would look great, since there is more to snapping a photo than by bumping up the number of megapixels the sensor can capture. Still, this has not stopped a certain Kartanofoto who captured the Aino Fountain (by Emil Wikström of Finland) with the Nokia 808 PureView which had picked up the first runner up spot in the “Wiki Loves Public Art 2013″ competition.

Over 9,250 images were uploaded by 225 uploaders, and out of that figure, 57% of them were first time contributors. The jury was truly an international one, where they hailed from Sweden, India, Lithuania and Germany. Comments from the jury concerning this entry was “Vivid and vibrant photo, nice dominance of green color (background, reflections in the water, statues).” Still, you will not see professional photographers on an assignment like at a wedding use a smartphone with a great digital camera sensor within as their primary working tool of choice. What do you think of the winning photo above?

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Nokia 808 PureView Snaps Photo That Picks Up 2nd Place In International Photo Contest original content from Ubergizmo.

Uh oh, looks like somebody’s got a serious case of space madness. Either that or Nancy Sinatra’s siren song has already taken hold of his senses. Either way, this stranded astronaut is royally screwed. The creatives over at Wildlife.la crafted this Gulliverian tale of interplanetary exploration and eventual psychosis.

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Google is right now testing out a local news card for Google Now, and this particular move would make plenty of good sense. After all, this particular application is meant to keep track of you regardless of where you are, round the clock, all the while pushing relevant information over to you depending on your past searches and calendar listings among others. Since this is a beta test for the local news card, it is taking place within Google itself. Google is currently gathering feedback from users, and hopefully the feedback received will be used to good effect so that any final decisions by Google would ensure that the local news card, when it is introduced to the masses, will be great to use right out of the box.

Johanna Wright, vice president of search and assist, Google, shared, “One thing we’re testing right now is a very local hyper-local news card. Which is really useful—it teaches me things about my neighborhood. For example, I found out Miss Mexico came to my son’s school, I saw that [the local] Chipotle was giving out burritos, and someone was stabbed in the park near my house. It’s very, very targeted to you and your interests.” When Google has such information of its millions of users worldwide, you can be sure that there is the very real possibility of using this information to be even more targeted and specific in its information delivery – and who knows, targeted ads, too. Will it be introduced with a fully working real-time translation service?

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Google Now Local News Card Being Tested original content from Ubergizmo.