Starting this month, users will be experience an increased bit of quality in their Google+ Hangouts video chat as result of the company switching over to a new form of video codec. The video codec itself isn’t new, it having been released all the way back in 2010, but it’s new to this Google system, […]
China’s state media reports today that the country will send its first ever rover to the moon this December. The government had said a number of times in the past that the launch will take place at the end of this year, as of now the launch appears to be on track. Called the Chang’e-3, it is said that planning and construction of the rover has already been completed and the mission has entered into “launch implementation phase.” This will be China’s first ever unmanned probe landing on the moon. It has previously launched the Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2 unmanned probes into the orbit around the moon.
The rover will reportedly use an unspecified technique to slow down its speed as it prepares to land on the moon’s surface. It will be launched atop an enhanced variant of China’s CZ-3B launch vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Chang’e-3 has a designed life of 90 lunar days and will be capable of exploring an area of 3 square kilometers. Maximum travelling distance it can cover is 10 kilometers. It has a various types of cameras and radars on board and will be able to autonomously navigate the moon’s surface. Data and image will be transmitted back to Earth in real-time. [image via Dragoninspace]
China Sends It First Rover To The Moon This December original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Facebook has an awful lot of noise
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Mobile payment options like Square have been a boon to small business owners, and now Shopify is looking to expand the potential of point of sale systems with its new platform. The company is branching out from its online retail roots by offering a way to merge in-store and internet sales with a combined inventory system. Shop owners can choose which items they want to sell online or in their brick and mortar stores, while the POS app synchronizes the process. Additionally, Shopify comes with an iPad-compatible credit card reader, email receipts and detailed analytics. If you’re in the market for an integrated retail system, the expanded hardware kit might be worth checking out; it includes a cash drawer, iPad stand and receipt printer. For more information, check out the video after the break.
Source: Shopify
People finishing each other’s sentences. Indie rock. Video editing that’s way too fast. CollegeHumor is spot-on in its demonstration of how every tech commercial is exactly the same.
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To watch collectors and aficionados, mechanical movements are particularly desirable since they best represent the fine craftsmanship and precise engineering that has gone into watch and clock making for centuries. But ironically, even with today’s technology, mechanical movements don’t keep perfect time. They gain and lose seconds as they lose power, so Urwerk has created a watch that’s smart enough to know when it’s not accurate, letting you make adjustments as needed.
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Mark Johnson, CEO, Zite using his app on Google Glass
Zite is the news application that was bought by CNN in August 2011, its 2.0 version was launched for iOS in December 2012, and today, Android devices owners will get access to Zite 2.0. The company is going full force to Google, so the lucky people who could afford the $1500 Google Glass will be able to enjoy the wearable Zite experience.
I had the opportunity to try Zite for Google Glass during my meeting with Mark Johnson, CEO, Zite, and it was surprisingly an interesting experience. Zite gives the ability to scroll through the last ten top stories, the headlines are easy to read and you can ask Glasseitther to read you an article aloud or go to the website.
Zite Launches for Google Glass and version 2.0 on Android original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Over the last few weeks Google has started to roll out 720p HD Hangouts video support to a subset of its users, it has been revealed today. Google’s Vice President of Engineering, Chee Chew has confirmed the move in an interview and said that this switchover will be more or less invisible to consumers, though they’ll get cleaner and better video, Chew says. The rollout of HD video support in Hangouts for all users will be completed soon.
To make this happen Google has transitioned Hangouts video chats from H.264 video codec to VP8. VP8 is a royalty-free and open video codec that Google released back in 2010. The codec enables HD video streams at low bit rates, this wouldn’t have been possible with the previous codec, too much processing power would have been required to show HD video streams from 10 participants in a Hangout. Google isn’t stopping with this transition, the company plans to move over to WebRTC in the future. WebRTC standard has the ability to deliver audio and video in realtime without requiring any additional codecs. Chew says that there’s a possibility that WebRTC might come to Hangouts eventually, though this transition could take more than a few months.
Google Hangouts Getting HD Quality Video original content from Ubergizmo. 
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There is an age-old debate between men and women about which sex has a harder chore when it comes to shaving, Men point out the fact that they must do it every day — in some cases twice for the hairiest of the sex if they are going out in the evening. Women lay claim to the title for having to do it upside down in a slippery shower with water trying to run in their eyes. Point to the ladies, fellas. However, that field can be leveled just a bit with Mommy’s Helper Safer Grip Foot Rest.
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