Building off of last year’s Gmail enhancements, Google is rolling out improved autocomplete predictions that display terms from your previous email searches. In addition to referencing your old inbox explorations, results now display thumbnails of people in your contact list. These useful new features are being issued to all Gmail users over the next few days, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Source: Google
When you think about it, scientists and cowboys have a lot in common. Both are frontiersmen of a sort, both wear clothes that make them easy to identify and now they both count lassos among their essential tools. Researchers at the University of Bristol and the University of Dundee have wrangled small particles and cells by using a sonic (or ultrasonic) vortex. The whirl of sound waves allowed the teams to catch, move and orient microscopic particles, all without actually contacting them physically, which makes the solution ideal for handling delicate material. Professor Bruce Drinkwater from Bristol even suggested it could one day be used to assemble human tissue (custom assembled livers, anyone?). The sonic lasso is quite a bit more complex and less portable than its rope-based cousin, involving a circular device with 16 sources of acoustic waves. If you’re looking for more technical details you’ll find a link to the recently published paper titled, Dexterous manipulation of microparticles using Bessel-function acoustic pressure fields at the source.
Via: Phys.org
Source: University of Bristol
The BeoSound 5 is, without a doubt, among the priciest of its kind, but thanks to a new partnership with Spotify, Bang & Olufsen has just added a little more value to its lavish controller. According to the company, those with a BeoSound 5 in their possession will able able to start streaming up to 320 Kbps tunes from Spotify as soon as they snag a software update, which will be available to download starting today — though it’s worth noting that a Spotify Premium account is a must for owners looking to stream. Still, since these are folks who’ve already paid the extravagant premium that’s attached to the BeoSound 5 systems, chances are they already have the proper credentials or won’t mind shelling out a few bucks per month on some quality internet-based music.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD
Source: Spotify
After several months as a watered down messaging app, Viber for Windows Phone 8 is finally catching up to its Android and iOS counterparts. Starting today, the redesigned VoIP application now supports free calls with HD audio, lock screen notifications and the ability to pin conversations to your Start screen. This Metro modern UI version of Viber also includes photo sharing and group conversations with up to 40 participants. So, if your call plan is running low on minutes and the latest version of Skype just isn’t cutting the mustard, head on over to the source link to give this free VoIP software a whirl.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: Windows Phone Blog
Source: Windows Phone Store
Strange, but until now, if you were aching for a Kobo reader, the company’s site would redirect you to a third-party like Best Buy or select independent booksellers. The tablet / e-reader maker has finally opened up direct sales of devices like the Kobo Glo, Mini and Arc directly through its site to interested parties in Canada and the US. Of course, if you’re so inclined, you can still buy those products and a number of accessories through the aforementioned partner sites. There’s a press release after the break to help you decide.
Filed under: Tablets
Took a couple of months, but EPIX is finally ready to fulfill its promise of PlayStation 3 movie streaming today. The network’s launching its app for the console, giving users access to some 3,000-plus titles including the likes of The Avengers, Skyfall and The Hunger Games, plus a slew of documentaries, concerts and such. The app itself is free, but requires a premium subscription to really do its job. In fact, if you’re already a paid-up member of PlayStation Plus, you’ll get a free movie or special every week. A more handheld version of the service is set to hit the Vita in “the coming weeks,” according to the company.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony
There’s nothing worse than seeing a handy new update hit your favorite app on the wrong OS. Luckily, time heals all wounds platform fragmentation. TuneIn’s Android app has just been updated with TuneIn Live, a content discovery interface introduced on iOS back in February. What this really amounts to is an extra tab on the app’s main screen, but what it offers is pretty neat: a customizable layout of eight tiles, each previewing live music representative of its respective category. Users can peek at what various stations are playing at a glance, casually flipping through their favorite genre’s live offerings by swiping each tile individually. It’s nothing we haven’t already seen from the folks at TuneIn, but its nice to see the app updating consistently across platforms. Check out the adjacent Google Play link to snag the update for yourself.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: TalkAndroid
Source: Google Play
Baseball is officially back and March Madness is just about to wrap up as we officially move into the “spring” segment of programming, marked by the return of Mad Men on AMC. That’s not all, with one half of Syfy’s videogame / TV show combo making its debut and our favorite show, Justified, airing its finale. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Mad Men
AMC’s main showpiece is ready to return. Now in its sixth season, you should be familiar with Don, Betty and the rest of the crew, but if not you can check out the trailer embedded after the break.
(April 7th, 9PM, AMC)
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled
Now set in a new case (shown above) the boxed set of the first round of Marvel / Disney films is finally ready for release. If you’re a collector / fan that just has to have it, the price on Amazon has dipped even lower, and it packs an exclusive look at the next set of flicks.
($149 on Amazon)
Defiance
The game end of Syfy’s ambitious MMO shooter / TV show combo launches this week on consoles and PCs. Taking place on Earth as aliens and humans both try to recover after years of war, it’s certainly something new, but we can’t tell yet how well the two halves will come together before the show starts airing in a couple of weeks.
($59 on Amazon)
Filed under: HD
HTC’s One may take the world by storm if it ever gets around to selling it, but meanwhile the company has to pay the bills. It’s been doing that very well lately with more budget-oriented models that it sells mostly in Asia, and it looks to continue in that vein with the Taiwan-bound Desire P. It’s a 4.3-inch WVGA device with unspecified Android and Sense versions, dual 1Ghz CPUs, 768MB RAM, 4GB storage, a microSD expansion slot, Beats audio and an 8-megapixel rear camera. It’ll be up for grabs in “pretty” red or “sparkling” white exclusively at Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom for a rather steep sounding $360 or so — whether the market will bear that considering the glut of similar phones remains to be seen.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: HTC (translated)
Hacking is still a loaded concept for many, often conjuring negative images of corporate espionage, fraudsters and prank-minded script kiddies. PBS’ Off Book wants to remind us that hacking wasn’t always seen this way — and, thanks to modern developments, is mending its reputation. Its latest episode shows that hacking began simply as a desire to advance devices and software beyond their original roles, but was co-opted by a sometimes misunderstanding press that associated the word only with malicious intrusions. Today, hacking has regained more of its original meaning: hackathons, a resurgence of DIY culture and digital protests prove that hacks can improve our gadgets, our security and even our political landscape. We still have a long way to go before we completely escape movie stereotypes, but the mini-documentary may offer food for thought the next time you’re installing a custom ROM or building your own VR helmet.
Filed under: Misc, Networking, Internet, Alt
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