Hasta La Gadget!

It’s not a finished, Windows 8-tuned Chrome build, but we’ll take it. Much as Google has been catering to iOS users who don’t have its search completely baked into the platform, there’s now a dedicated Google Search app for the Metro-inclined. Ignore the desktop OS foundation; the Windows 8 app is much closer to the touchscreen-oriented mobile version with its oversized search box, service shortcuts, an emphasis on voice recognition and finger-friendly instant previews of the results. Although incorporating Google search on a Surface will undoubtedly rankle Microsoft’s Bing team, the app could be the ticket for many tablet owners who live in Google’s cloud without using its hardware.

Filed under: Tablets, Software, Microsoft, Google

Google delivers search app for Windows 8 with a touch of tablet optimization originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a world of texts and emails, handwritten notes are getting rarer and rare because they require that heinous thing called “effort.” Or at least they used to. A new iOS app called Inkly takes almost all the work out of it, except for the actual writing part. More »

Hulu announced today that they’re bringing Hulu Plus to Windows 8 on October 26th — the day when Windows 8 will release to the public, which means you’ll be able to enjoy the service seamlessly on your new Windows 8 machine right from day one. Hulu Plus offers a better selection of shows compared to its free service, and most shows also play in high definition as well.

The Hulu Plus app will come pre-loaded on a selection of Acer and Sony tablets, and will also be available to download through the Windows Store onto any Windows 8 machine. Hulu implemented some of Microsoft’s own flavor of Windows 8 into the Hulu Plus app, and works seamlessly on tablets as well.

The app uses a tile-based UI that’s similar to the new UI featured in Windows 8. Hulu says the clean and simple user interface allows them to put “the most relevant content first, creating a visually immersive experience in the most engaging way.” We can’t argue with them really, since the UI actually does look pretty good.

A nifty feature of the new is the ability to do many actions right from the main screen, like share content with friends. If you tap an image and slide it down and then up, a menu of options will appear. This will let you share the show, add it to your queue, or just the play the show right away. You can also “pin” shows, which gives yo access to any pinned shows right from the home screen. They’ve also added “Snap View,” which allows you to watch a show in a small screen while using another app in the foreground.

In order to use the Hulu Plus app on not just Windows 8 machines, but any device, you’ll need a Hulu Plus subscription, which costs $7.99 per month.

Hulu Plus app coming to Windows 8 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Good news gamers, if you’ve enjoyed the Borderlands universe so far and thought it might be cool if you could play it on your mobile device, well it seems like your wish will be coming true this October. It seems that an ad spotted in the Borderlands 2’s digital strategy guide (via Gearbox forum) has revealed that an iOS version of Borderlands Legends will be available via the iTunes App Store in October! Given that we’re nearly at the end of October, we guess we won’t have to wait much longer to get our hands on the game! As per the advertisement, gamers will be able to play as any of the original Borderlands heroes (Mordecai, Lilith, Roland, Brick), collect thousands of different weapons, access to 36 unique powers and abilities and will have the missions randomized. Gearbox has yet to officially announce the game but we guess we might not have to wait too long to hear an official statement. So, who’s excited?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Alleged Google Maps Alpha for iOS screenshots leaked, Need For Speed: Most Wanted trailer for iOS and Android revealed, looks promising,

Vibease, a Bluetooth controlled vibrator + app that can be controlled by yourself or your partner, just went on pre-order. To mark this momentous occasion, the company released a commercial. An awful, horrible commercial. But the general mobile… sexual… hardware segment(?) has been heating up, with competition sprouting up from the high to the low end.

And you know what I learned today? Almost all startup sex toys have crazy, hilariously awful commercials.

Let’s take a look, yes?

Vibease

• Description: A Bluetooth-enabled clitoral vibrator that pairs with an Android app for duo or “solo” mode.
• Price: $69 pre-order, $149 for a pair
• Video: For one, this commercial kind of displaces the watcher from reality the second that girl runs a towel over completely dry hair. It then gets just a bit more awkward as you watch her fondle the vibrator (rather than use it), as the camera cuts to split screen over some corny acoustic guitar.
• Rating: What’s the opposite of turned on?

OhMiBod

• Description: A variation of vibrators and dildos that mostly come with a 3.5mm headphone jack. When plugged into an iPod, the vibrator pulses to the beat. There is also an iPhone app.
• Price: $79-$120
• Video: This is possibly even less realistic than Vibease simply because (while I don’t speak for everyone) I hope with all my hope that there is no woman who is pleasuring herself by dancing on her bed half-dressed and mocking oral sex with a vibrating dildo. It also doesn’t help that the relatively upbeat, bouncy piano music at the beginning, which was kind of cute, was replaced with chaotic Rock.
• Rating: Yeah right.

JimmyJane Form 6

• Description: To be fair, this isn’t a tech startup per se. But this is a wireless top of the line vibrator with no battery door and wireless charging. It also obviously takes design cues from modern gadgetry.
• Price: $185
• Video: Wow. Well, that’s only slightly better than going to the gynecologist. I’m also not sure about those white gloves. My mind goes from Doctor, to magician, and then to Mickey Mouse. Personally, that is a progression from not sexy to downright awkward. Subtract ten points for using the word “labia.”
• Rating: One step up from an STD clinic.

LovePalz: Hera and Zeus

• Description: LovePalz is a three piece system, including a WiFi-enabled and sensor-equipped “Hera” dildo and “Zeus” man jar, along with an iPhone app (that’s tied up in the App Store). The secret sauce here is that, when paired over WiFi, the partners will feel each others motions in real time.
• Price: $94.95 for the pair
• Video: I’ll give credit where credit is due — this is actually a pretty high-quality video. The music actually captures that lonely but horny mood, while managing to be romantic, melancholy, and semi-sexy at the same time. Bonus points for showing two humans interacting physically without it looking awkward or forced.My main problem is that the actual product is only shown once, as a graphic laid over the video, and not anywhere close to in-use (other than the app). To be fair, this is probably how the commercial manages to be remotely hot.
• Rating: Smart is sexy.

To be fair to our startups, even the biggest sex toy manufacturers in the world have commercials that range from mildly hot to mildly disgusting (yet funny).

My point, I think, is that it’s nearly impossible to market a sex toy through video because a sex toy commercial is called porn. And chances are we’ve all seen it, probably on Sex.com or Pinterest, if not sought it out directly at one time or another.

There’s clearly a trend here, as far as Bluetooth and sex toys and mobile apps are concerned. But manufacturing can make this a really difficult space. So here’s to the startups that are trying, bellyflop or not, to get you, well, turned-on by their products.

Take a look around. Explore your spicy side. Drop that credit card like it’s hot.