J.K. Rowling may well have opened a real can of worms when she created
Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. And yes, can of worms could be a
flavor, right alongside of vomit and earwax. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
preceded her with their amazing selection of the sweet treat and took
them out of the realm of an Easter-only candy. Now there is a new idea
floating out there on Quirky.com — alcohol-flavored jelly beans.
Chrome 31 beta for Android brings home screen shortcuts, search-friendly tabs (updated)
Posted in: Today's Chili Now that Chrome 30 is done and dusted, Google has released Chrome 31 in beta — and it’s a big deal for Android users. The new browser lets users add iOS-like web shortcuts to the home screen, with specially optimized sites launching as full-screen web apps. Version 31 also brings the desktop …
So word on the street has it that come 16th of October, there is a good chance of Sony launching their full-frame NEX cameras. We’re sure some of you guys are also curious as to what the devices could be known as. Well according to Sony Alpha Rumors, Sony has decided to stick with the Alpha moniker for all of its high-end devices, regardless whether they are E-mount or A-mount, and as it turns out, the first two full-frame NEX cameras will be known as the A7 and the A7r, with the A7 being the cheaper model, while the A7r is the high-end model.
Both cameras are expected to be identical, save for the 24MP in the cheap model, and the 36MP in the expensive one. The rest of the camera’s features include a NEX-7 grip, an EVF in the middle (similar to the Olympus OMD design), and will be around the same size as the Sony RX1. Once again Sony has yet to make anything official so do take it with a grain of salt for now, but the A7 and A7r are both models we’ll be keeping our eyes out for, so be sure to check back with us later in the month to see if there are additional updates to be had.
Sony Full-Frame NEX Cameras To Be Known As The A7 And A7r [Rumor] original content from Ubergizmo.
Back in 2012, Microsoft launched a Bing It On campaign which basically compared Google’s search to their own search, Bing. According to Microsoft’s claims at that time, users preferred Bing’s search to Google’s search by a ratio of 2:1. This was a surprising claim given that Google, at least on the surface, would be much preferred due to their tight integration with all their products, and their reputation of being around longer than Bing. Well it turns out Microsoft’s claims might not be as accurate as they claim, according to Yale Law School professor, Ian Ayres, who wrote on Freakonomics that the study he and his students conducted actually yielded very different results.
According to Ayres, “To the contrary of Microsoft’s claim, 53% of subjects preferred Google and 41% Bing (6% of results were ‘ties’) […] This is not even close to the advertised claim that people prefer Bing ‘nearly two-to-one.’ It is misleading to have advertisements that say people prefer Bing 2:1 and also say join the millions of people who’ve taken the Bing-It-On challenge, if, as in our study, the millions of people haven’t preferred Bing at a nearly a 2:1 rate.” Those are some very bold claims and Microsoft has since responded to Ayres’ findings, stating that a faulty methodology was used by Ayres which explains how he got the results he did, but what do you guys think?
Bing It On Numbers Disputed, Microsoft Responds original content from Ubergizmo.
It was only recently that Microsoft announced their brand new Surface 2 tablet and we’re sure Microsoft is hoping that with the better hardware specs and battery life that the device would be a success, or at least do better than the original Surface tablets where poor sales led to Microsoft writing off $1 billion in inventory. Well it turns out that Microsoft might be getting their wish as they have announced that pre-order stock for the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2 along with their accessories, like the Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition and Type Covers, have either sold out or are coming close to being sold out.
Both tablets are expected to be made available come 22nd October so if you want to be able to get your tablet on that date, you should probably move fast. While the tablets might be close to selling out, perhaps it might have something to do with Microsoft allowing customers to pre-order the devices in their stores for free, meaning that no deposit or downpayment is required, so customers can reserve without being obligated to buy it, so perhaps it is not selling like hotcakes as Microsoft seems to be implying. In any case we guess it shouldn’t be too long before the official figures are released so we will wait and see if the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are really the hits that Microsoft is making them out to be.
Microsoft Surface 2 Pre-Orders Appear To Be Selling Well original content from Ubergizmo.
GTA Online Launch Updates
Posted in: Today's ChiliWhile life does not always end up smooth sailing, it is nice to hear that Rockstar’s has been working hard to address any kind of issues which surround GTA Online so that gamers will not end up with a sour taste in their mouths. In fact, Rockstar Games have claimed that they are currently working on a title update for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions in order to sort out commonly reported issues that seem to have plagued GTA Online, and in their own words, “We hope to have it out for download as soon as tomorrow.” I am quite sure that the gamers too, would be keeping their fingers crossed for it to arrive within the next 24 hours.
Just what kind of glitches or technical issues did gamers experience with GTA Online? Well, for folks who are rocking to the PS3, a PlayStation Network server issue was detected which limited the amount of possible concurrent users, which in turn would prevent majority of the players from being able to access GTA Online, but thankfully that issue has already been resolved. Others mentioned of some players being prevented from getting through the first tutorial mission, regardless of whether they are rocking to the PS3 or the Xbox 360. Repeated retries have proved to be the solution for many, but rest assured, Rockstar Games are working on unblocking this for all within the shortest time possible.
How has your GTA Online experience been so far?
GTA Online Launch Updates original content from Ubergizmo.
Serving up advertisements can be tricky business, and depending on how it is achieved, could land companies in hot water. Such was the case with Google earlier this year over issues with email scanning, something that had prompted it to say that emails sent to Gmail addresses had no expectation of privacy. Following a judge’s […]
Daily Roundup: ZTE Open review, Twitter’s $1 billion IPO, Samsung spies on Apple / Nokia documents and more!
Posted in: Today's Chili You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on …
Just like fashion, whenever a new season kicks in, there is a change for your wardrobe. In the world of hunting or fishing, it would be new gear that tend to claim you could bring your game to the next level, never mind the fact that your technique and lack of expertise is what’s holding you back. But the marketers do not want to tell you that – no sir, so that they can shift more products. Or at the very least, this could be the train of thought for some of us. If you think that you have maxed out your skills and knowledge in hunting and would like to have a piece of gear that will enhance the next experience, look no further than the Magellan eXplorist 350H GPS which is now available in North America.
The eXplorist 350H handheld GPS will deliver the necessary features that a hunter wants, including pre-loaded detailed base maps with contour elevations and Game Management Units (GMU), Digital Globe satellite imagery for virtual scouting ability, hunting specific waypoints, and hunting geofences. All of these, are of course, stashed within a rugged, camouflage exterior that is also waterproof.
It is also nice to see the user-activated geofence feature which ensures that you are alerted whenever you approach any GMU boundary so that you will never venture beyond the area which you are permitted to hunt. The asking price for the Magellan eXplorist 350H stands at $249.99 a pop for those who are interested.
Pack Your Hunting Gear: Magellan eXplorist 350H GPS Arrives At The US original content from Ubergizmo.
[CEATEC 2013] In-vehicle technology has certainly progressed by a fair amount these days, where we are starting to see Heads Up Display units being integrated in various ways depending on the manufacturer, not to mention a futuristic looking driving cockpit that is further augmented by the use of a smartphone. One thing is for sure, the kind of interactivity which we have with our devices are a whole lot more intuitive using touch and gesture controls, and here we are with Mitsubishi and their free form display that is intended to be used in a car display system.
Mitsubishi Car Display System Sports Free Form Screen original content from Ubergizmo.