Hasta La Gadget!

This morning it’s all about the price point, with the Acer “Kiev” Chromebox tipped as the $99 savior for the desktop Chrome universe. There’s a brand new Alfa Romeo/Miata roadster deal in the works this week between Fiat and Mazda for 2015. As demand shifts from the iPad to the iPad mini, Sharp Corp has been tipped to reduce retina display production.

The company by the name of JK Imaging has – perhaps – leaked a new Kodak micro four thirds shooter to the world. There’s also been a leak of a possible LG Optimus G Pro – how much more wild can it get? BlackBerry 10 has been previewed once again with carriers readying for RIM.

The Mona Lisa has been laser’d to the moon with some fabulous science magic – 240,000 miles of distance. There’s a bit of a four-day beta coming up for Sim City starting on the 25th of January that you’ll probably want to check in on. Owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will be glad to find an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade waiting for them soon and very soon.

There’s a wild new 12-lead EKG machine being launched for Android tablets and smartphones. Nokia has released some 3D printing files for the cases of their Lumia lineup. The magazine known as Hearst is now officially releasing copies to the iPad before it hits the newsstand. Expect a whole lot more in the surprise arena between here and Mobile World Congress 2013 – it’s the wild west, east, north, and south until then!

SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: January 18th, 2013 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’d reported on January 2 that the Series 3 Chromebox had received a design update, with Samsung rolling out a sleeker, rounded-edge model bearing the same specs as its predecessor. Now Samsung has pushed out another Chromebox model, this one running an Intel Core i5 processor in a more sophisticated-looking design. The device is available now for about $400.

The new Chromebook, model number XE300M22-A01US, runs a Core i5-2450M processor, as well as Intel’s HD Graphics 3000, a combination that provides decent hardware for accomplishing whatever tasks you can put the Chromebox through, such as high definition video streaming. Because of the Chromebook’s functionality, it is doubtful the average user will put the device through more than the processor and graphics can handle.

Aside from the new processor, the XE300M22-A01US’s other specs include 4GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage space. There are six USB 2.0 ports and an Ethernet port, but like the redesigned model that surface at the beginning of the year, VGA is missing. Connectivity is the expected Bluetooth and wifi. For displays, there’s DVI and DisplayPort.

The model weighs between 4 and 5 pounds, depending on whose specs you’re listening to, and measures 7.6 x 7.6 x 1.3-inches, making it a tad larger than the XE300M22-B01US model. It is Green Compliant with WEEE compliance, and aside from the faster CPU, offers the same assort of specs as the previous model.

[via Liliputing]

Samsung Chromebox with Intel Core i5 surfaces is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While you’ll likely be able to speak to and be understood by most of your electronics in the distant future, here in the present Google’s Chrome browser updating with a new Web Speech API is still considered a big deal. This feature is coming today to Chrome Beta, that being the perpetually beta pre-final release iteration of the web browser, here bringing speech recognition to any app whose developer wishes to integrate it in-browser.

This release is made to bring on everything from game control to text dictation – you’ll no longer have to type outside your browser with systems like Dragon Dictate to keep your fingers in check – though they might just adopt Google’s friendliness here, too. This release of Chrome beta doesn’t automatically recognize speech from the browser itself, but through apps and webpages that’ve already taken advantage of the API.

Above you’re seeing Google engineer Glen Shires speak about how the Web Speech API works in one of its simplest forms. If you’re interested in using the webpage shown in the video, you can do so here: Web Speech API Demonstration. If you’re interested in working with Google’s software here for the near future as a developer, you’ll be able to do so with Chromium Blog’s set of links – so many your head will pop off!

This voice recognition functionality is currently only being presented for the desktop version of Google Chrome web browser. You are able now, on the other hand, to get Android Google Chrome web browser Beta releases through their new beta channel. If you do install a beta release, mind you, you’ll be doing so of your own accord, complete with Google’s warning that the release is not final and may not act as you think it might.

Let us know if you’re integrating Google’s Web Speech API into your app or webpage via the comments below or our tips email you’ll find in the upper portion of the SlashGear homepage. We want to know you!

[via Google Chrome Blog]

Chrome Beta integrates speech recognition is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Voice control has been the trend in phones for a while now, but it’s not content to just stay there. The newest Chrome Beta is introducing a Web Speech API, which means a talk-y future is on the horizon, hopefully. More »

It seems that today is a good day for those using Google’s Chrome, as the most recent Chrome Stable release will enable you to boot up to a faster browser. Now that the madcap and hectic holiday season is more or less over, and you should have gotten back into the groove of things where being at work is concerned, why not kick back, grab a cuppa and in Google’s own words, “enjoy Chrome’s new year freshness through automatic updates”? It will be a refreshment to your bones and soul, or at least that is what Google wants you to believe.

Have you given the latest version of Chrome a go, and how has your experience been so far? Satisfied? More than happy and cannot thank Google enough? Disappointed with it? Whether those are bouquets or brickbats, why not share your experience with us in the comments.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HoverCam Document Scanner Updated At CES, Skype Updates Windows Client To Integrate With Microsoft Outlook,