Hasta La Gadget!

Mountain View’s kept itself as the gatekeeper for Google Glass with dev signups at I/O and a social media contest, but now it’s letting some users spread the wearable computing love. Google+ is lighting up with reports that Glass Explorers are receiving emails from Page and Co. allowing them to invite a friend to snag a device by joining the program. In order to be eligible, invitees must be a US resident, at least 18 years of age, and willing to pick up the hardware in San Francisco, New York or Los Angeles. Google’s told us that a “small subset of Explorers” have received the message in its continuing effort to expand the affair. Earlier today, the search giant announced that it cast a wider net for Explorers by enlisting five film schools to suss out how the contraption can be used for everything from character development to production. Head past the break for the full list of institutions.

Filed under: Google

Comments

Via: The Next Web

Source: Marketing Land, Zagg

Though some of us have elected to make our smartphones our main phones, many still have a home phone line, and for those users, Panasonic has developed a cordless offering that brings Android to the landline. The KX-PRX120 looks like a slightly dated, thick smartphone, but functions as a standard cordless home phone, providing a touchscreen display and front-facing camera, among other features.

The cordless phone features a 3.5-inch TFT display with an HVGA resolution and support for multi-touch. As with a smartphone, the digital phone offers various connectivity options: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The battery is a 1450mAh offering, though Panasonic doesn’t specify how long of a battery life this provides.

There’s no mention the internal storage in the handset, but users can save data and files on a microSD card via a storage slot. One nice benefit of the handset is a front-facing camera (0.3-megapixel), which allows users to use Skype or similar apps and hold a video conversation. Charging is achieved using a standard micro USD cable.

While Panasonic doesn’t specify in its announcement whether the user will have access to the Google Play store, the icon is plainly visible in the image above, so we’ll take that as confirmation. There’s an answering machine functionality that allows for up to 40 minutes of audio storage, and a feature for blocking both incoming and outgoing calls that are unwanted.

There’s a Caller ID feature, optional Key Finder, and the ability to register up to 6 handsets in total. Unfortunately, Panasonic didn’t specify when the KX-PRX120 will hit shelves, nor how much consumers can expect to pay for it, but we’ll keep you updated when more information is announced.

SOURCE: Panasonic

Panasonic KX-PRX120 cordless home phone runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The sky is blue! Only when it’s not gray. Or purple. Or red. Or orange. The clouds are white! Only when they’re not gray. Or even darker than that. Basically, the clouds and sky can be anything. But can the sky be a creamsicle orange bubbly thing that looks like we’re on an alien planet? Apparently so.

Read more…

Alfa Romeo’s new Spider droptop will launch late in 2015 and eschew the retro styling of the 2uettottanta concept for a more contemporary aesthetic, it’s claimed, after the company struggled to make the Pininfarina design work alongside other high-profile models like the upcoming 4C. The Alfa Romeo Spider, a collaboration between the Italian company and Mazda, will share a far chunk of its construction with the new 2015 Miata/MX-5, and is expected to have a 168HP turbocharged 1.5 TB MultiAir engine, Autocar sources claim.

That’s different from the new Mazda drop-top, which is expected to use the Japanese company’s own engines. The Spider will have a single powerplant option at launch, it’s said, routing its power through a six-speed, dual-clutch auto gearbox; the engine will be mounted longitudinally so as to fit into the sub-1,100kg body.

Exactly what that body might look like is what’s been giving Alfa enthusiasts sleepless nights. For a start, the insiders say, it will be completely different to what Mazda prepares for the new Miata, though both will make considerable use of high-strength steel to keep weight down.

For the Spider, it’s expected to result in a roughly 4m long by 1.7m wide car, slightly longer in the process than the Miata, though both will have the same windshield and surrounding structure, front bulkhead, engine compartment, and front/rear axels. There’ll be “conventional” headlight clusters, rather than the outlandish lights of the 4C, and the traditional Alfa Romeo grill with “whisker” air intakes low down on either side.

According to the sources, the overall aim is to make a car with more mainstream appeal than the enthusiast-friendly 4C, including approachable suspension settings to make it “accessible” to everyday drivers. Again, that’s another area in which Alfa Romeo and Mazda are expected to go their own ways, with each company responsible for its own tuning and setup.

Even so, the 2015 Spider will be manufactured in Japan, alongside its Mazda cousin, with Alfa Romeo apparently close to signing off the final design by chief Marco Tencone. Pricing is still a mystery, however, though is expected to be lower than the roughly $55,000 the 4C is expected to come in at when it hits forecourts later this year.

2015 Alfa Romeo Spider goes modern, eschews “boat-tail” 2uettottanta is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s been a while since Kindle for iOS users have been able to download content directly from the app, thanks to Apple’s 30 percent fee for in-app purchases. Today, Amazon is reintroducing that feature — albeit a modified version — in its latest update, available now in iTunes. From the existing library search, you can browse Amazon’s store for sample downloads where available. You won’t be able to purchase the full book, but you can at least discover new content in a slightly more efficient manner. Additionally, you can now import you own dictionaries — like medical or legal texts — if the default one simply doesn’t suit your needs. To get your paws on the update, head on over the source link below.

Filed under: Software, Amazon

Comments

Via: iMore

Source: iTunes