Nov 04
Need a viral smash? No point leaving it to chance. Just get Buyral on case. Their team of expert clickers will get your views up in no time; whether or not anyone actually sees it is another matter altogether. More »
Nov 03
Baidu buys control of streaming video portal iQiyi, raises stakes in China’s media wars
Posted in: Today's Chili 
The merger of China’s video giants Youku and Tudou this August must have struck a nerve over at Baidu: the search engine just bought out equity firm Providence’s controlling stake in iQiyi, an already large video service built solely around streaming professional movies and TV shows. Should the deal wrap up as planned in the fall, Baidu plans to keep its new partner as a separate badge but weave its content throughout mobile sites and search results. The company is unsurprisingly taking a Google-like strategy to make sure it isn’t left on the sidelines as searchers go elsewhere for video. Pragmatism aside, its deal could represent more for China as a whole — when hundreds of millions of people are exposed to commercially-oriented video as a matter of course, it could tip the balance in a way that we didn’t see with YouTube rentals.
Filed under: Internet
Baidu buys control of streaming video portal iQiyi, raises stakes in China’s media wars originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Nov 2012 01:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nov 02
Venturing out into the world of public wifi can be risky, with malicious users potentially poking around the same network to steal data. Even if your laptop is full of nothing but cat pictures, it’s important to utilize security measures whenever possible. Boingo has made this simple by adding a personal VPN feature to its Wi-Finder app for Mac and Windows users.
The VPN feature was originally launched for the company’s iOS apps, and has now been ported to its desktop application. Users with a Boingo account can utilize the VPN, which is free, with a single click. The service uses the Boingo account for authentication, and connects users with a nearby server to help maintain performance quality.
Boingo’s Vice President of Consumer Marketing Dawn Callahan commented on the new feature. “Since we launched the Boingo VPN for our iOS customers this summer, we’ve seen nearly 20 percent of all iOS sessions protected with our simple security solution. Nearly a third of the devices seeking Wi-Fi in our venues are laptops, and we want to ensure that these users can also take advantage of our intuitive VPN and feel secure connecting at any Wi-Fi location.”
Boingo’s Wi-Finder app allows users to easily connects to Boingo’s wireless networks, as well as partner networks. The app gives users access to a directory of 150k+ free hotspots, allowing you to find a place to connect when you’re desperate for a network. Each hotspot is given a quality rating based on input from other Wi-Finder users.
[via Boingo]
Boingo adds personal VPN for Wi-Finder Windows and Mac users is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nov 02
Facebook is testing out a new service that hopes to encourage Facebook users to check in at physical retail stores. Presumably, the idea is that by checking in at retail stores friends and followers might be more inclined to visit the same store. In exchange for checking in at the retail locations, Facebook users get access to Wi-Fi hotspots at no cost.
The system requires the business to provide Internet service and Facebook provides a free router that will direct users to businesses Facebook page after checking in. Facebook has confirmed that it is conducting a “small test with a few local businesses.” Exactly, which businesses are participating in the test is unknown.
Some stores may also be offering specials where discounts to shoppers who check in using the new service. This could prove to be an interesting way to monetize Facebook access for mobile users in a time when most users are starting to access Facebook via a mobile device rather than a computer.
The special Facebook routers will allow non-Facebook users or people who simply don’t want to check in to access the Internet for free. People who don’t check in with Facebook to access the hotspot for free would have to enter a password provided by the business. It’s unclear right now if this free Wi-Fi service will catch on and be expanded to other areas by Facebook.
[via CNET]
Facebook testing out free Wi-Fi hotspot access for check-ins is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nov 02
Google has added functionality to the web version of its Translate service, now making it even easier for us to use and understand foreign tongues. Instead of a single result, you’ll be presented with a list of the most common translations, ordered and labeled by how frequently each one is used. What’s more, synonyms are also displayed next to the assortment of results, but this particular feature only works when translating into English, although more languages are expected to be supported soon. We’ve had a quick play around with it, and suggest you head over to the Google Translate page and try out the new elements for yourself. Now, if only the website translator could make those Japanese pages a little easier to read.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Google Translate gets new features, makes sure you choose the right words originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
TechnoBuffalo | 
Google Translate blog, Google Translate site | Email this | Comments
Nov 01
It wasn’t long ago that Google Wallet delved into the online payment sphere, but as of today, the Mountain View juggernaut has extended its checkout service to mobile websites. According to Google, 97 percent of mobile shoppers abandon their carts, which is primarily due to the litany of information that needs to be manually entered. Now, when you stumble upon a mobile website that supports Google Wallet checkouts, you’ll merely need to click the buy button, enter your login credentials and then complete the order. The immediate downside is the paltry number of outlets that support the service: 1-800-Flowers, Rockport and Five Guys. Then again, we suppose you could have a pretty nice evening with flowers, new shoes and a couple of burgers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Google Wallet checkout gains support for mobile websites originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink TechCrunch | Google Commerce blog | Email this | Comments
Nov 01
Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Google Wallet hasn’t had much uptake in the real world. When most of its use has revolved around one carrier, few payment points and even fewer phones, most of us have had to sit on the sidelines. If an Android Police source really did come across a leaked future build of Google Wallet as he claims, though, we may know how Google surmounts that problem: going old school with a real-world card. Screenshots in the app supposedly show a mail-in option for plastic that could completely replace credit and debit cards without turning to NFC. Any charges after a typical swipe of the magnetic strip would simply go to whatever payment source is set as Wallet’s default, letting minimalists slim down their actual wallets while sharing in the same discounts as their phone-wielding counterparts. Digital-only purists would still get something out of the deal, as the update could also bring person-to-person money transfers and support for mass transit cards. How soon the as yet unconfirmed app would appear is still a mystery, but it dovetails with Google teasing a Wallet revamp that’s rumored to take mobile use beyond its Android-only roots; we just didn’t anticipate that the company might bypass our phones altogether.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nov 01
Time-lapse map shows internet outages as Hurricane Sandy makes landfall (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
It’s no secret that Hurricane Sandy has worked a number on communications infrastructure, but now a time-lapse video created by Renesys gives us a clearer picture of when and where internet outages occurred as the storm made landfall. Green squares on the map above indicate that 99.95 percent of networks in the area are reachable, while red squares denote that more than five percent of networks are down. In Manhattan’s case, Renesys estimates that there was only a ten percent failure, which it considers impressive since power was cut to much of the island. Ten percent may not sound like a huge outage, but the firm points out that population density makes it equivalent to taking a country the size of Austria off the grid. As for the 90 percent of networks in the borough that stayed online, they survived thanks to generator power. If you’d like to witness the playback of outages between October 29th and 30th, head past the jump for the video.
Continue reading Time-lapse map shows internet outages as Hurricane Sandy makes landfall (video)
Filed under: Internet
Time-lapse map shows internet outages as Hurricane Sandy makes landfall (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nov 01
Google pulls back the curtain on its new voice search, sums it up in this graph
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Google has revealed just how it harnesses your idle curiosity on every subject imaginable to supercharge its voice search. A database of 230 billion googled words was fed into a language model that can then work out the probability of what you’re going to say next. Mountain View researcher Ciprian Chelba explained that one example of this is if you say “New York,” you’re statistically more likely to say “Pizza” than “Granola,” regardless of any new year’s resolutions. If you’d like to learn more, you can find the algebra-packed original paper down at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Google
Google pulls back the curtain on its new voice search, sums it up in this graph originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink CNET | Google Research, Google | Email this | Comments
Oct 31
YouView software update adds surround-sound, faster boot times and grouped recording
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Rocking a YouView box? You’ll shortly be in line for a software bump that’ll give you a few handy tweaks. The update will speed up the device’s boot-from-standby time, let you group recordings by series so you can watch ’em box-set style and pump out surround-sound audio if you’ve got the right gear. It’ll also provide a few useful UI tweaks, like offering the option to hide BBC red button prompts, letting you roll live TV backwards by 15 seconds or forwards by 60 seconds. It’ll be available on Humax-branded boxes over the next few weeks, followed by the TalkTalk branded units shortly afterward.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
YouView software update adds surround-sound, faster boot times and grouped recording originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.